Webster’s defines “myths” as widely held – but false – beliefs or ideas. Let’s take, for instance, the Easter Bunny. How did this religious holiday come to be embodied by an invisible bunny who delivers eggs, chocolates, peeps and jelly beans in a basket, which magically appears in your house or yard sometime before dawn on Easter Sunday? There are many theories, but to this day “no-bunny” really knows the origin of this floppy tale – it’s a myth-stery. Because of the numerous and occasionally mysterious factors that go into creating complex HVAC systems, there too exists a few tall tales and myths associated with air conditioning.

Myth: Ceiling Fans Lower the Room Temperature

The electric ceiling fan was invented in 1882 and has been a popular item in Arizona homes since the early 1900’s. The myth is that ceiling fans lower the temperature in a room. However, that’s not true. Ceiling fans circulate the existing air and cool human beings not rooms. If you are not using the room, turn off the ceiling fan so you don’t waste energy.

Myth: Save Money by Turning the AC Off While You’re at Work

There’s no argument that home air conditioning units save energy when they are turned completely off. However, intense Arizona summer heat and humidity can ramp up the temperature inside your home to extremes. Returning from work to a stifling house means your AC unit will work harder and use more energy just to restore indoor temperatures to an acceptable level. A better strategy is to install a programmable thermostat and increase the indoor temperature by 8 to 10 degrees while you are away during the day. Set the timing on the thermostat to begin lowering the temperature approximately 30 minutes before you arrive home at the end of the day.

The Biggest Myth of All

There’s a widely held, but false belief on the part of many homeowners that goes something like this: That weird noise the air conditioner is making – if it is ignored long enough, sooner or later it will go away. Here’s another myth; if you tell yourself it’s just my imagination that the electric bill keeps going up compared to this time last year, you won’t have to face an inconvenient truth.

Unfortunately, weird noises and poor performing AC systems usually don’t fix themselves. Delaying service calls or putting off yearly maintenance can often result in bigger problems or even more expensive repairs down the road. On this point, there’s no myth-stery or argument – AC repairs in the middle of an Arizona heatwave, when the volume of service calls is through the roof, are no fun at all. Why not de-myth-stify your life and have one of our experienced professionals do a thorough inspection of your air conditioning system.

Call us today to get a “hop” on ensuring your air conditioning system is ready for the summer heat. Call Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating today at 480-968-5652.