Illinois energy efficiency incentives are available to help you keep your home's air conditioner running efficiently

Last month we talked about the impact of your air conditioning tune up (Part I), this month we will focus on the local impact of energy savings.

Two years ago, the State of Illinois commissioned the Smart Ideas program to help Illinois become one of the “greenest” states.  

Smart Ideas is a cooperative program between the state of Illinois, Comed and local heating & cooling contractors, to improve the value Chicago homeowner receive from their electric energy dollars.    

What does this mean for me?

Last week we talked about saving over $32 per month on your energy bills by having your air conditioning tune up.  The Smart Ideas program is a champion of this idea.  By educating homeowners on the importance of testing, cleaning & repairing a home's air conditioning systems – the Smart Ideas program, saves money, and just as important, reduces the energy use demands from Illinois residence.   

How does it work?

The program is easy.  Just contact a participating Smart Ideas contractor to tune up your air conditioning system.  The participating dealer will arrive at your home with a special tool to measure the performance of you air conditioning system.  After measuring your systems performance, they will perform a tune up on your air conditioning system.  Finally, the heating & cooling expert will re-measure your ac systems performance to determine your annual electrical savings.  

For more information about the Smart Ideas program call Erik at 847-419-1000.

How Much Can You Save With An Annual Tune-Up of Your Home's Air Conditioner?

Every 3,000 miles I take my car over to the neighborhood car dealer to have the oil changed and routine maintenance performed.  As I was waiting for my car to be serviced, I thought to myself “Do I really need to have my car serviced this often?”  Then it occurred to me that my customers probably wonder the same thing about their annual home air conditioner tune-up. How many of my customers, friends and neighbors even bother to have their air conditioning unit tune up?

To find out, I checked with the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, other HVAC trade organizations and fellow heating and cooling companies. With a little research (thank you Internet!), I found over 55% of homeowners don’t schedule regular maintenance on their home air conditioning system – yet over half of all AC users express “dissatisfaction with the performance of their air conditioner and its cost to operate.”

So…55% of homeowners don’t get their AC tune up and their not happy with their Air Conditioning unit's performance?  

Here are some additional air conditioning maintenance facts I found:

1. According to several studies 9 out of every 10 Air conditioning breakdowns occur due to nothing more than “a dirty unit.”
2. According to a 2001 Louisiana State University study, the average homeowner spends $32.76 more a month on their energy bills by not have their heating and cooling unit maintained.
3. Your Air Conditioning life span will be significantly reduced without maintaining your AC.

So how much can you save with an annual tune up of your home’s air conditioner?  Just like with your oil change, a lot more than a couple bucks.  Now when I go to have my oil changed, I will have a greater appreciation for the efforts I am taking to increase my car’s performance.  

Look for more information on this topic in our next blog where we will continue the discussion and address the local impact on the Chicago area.