In a perfect world, every air conditioner would adequately cool a home while maintaining peak efficiency in the process. But in the real world, air conditioners are not always as functional or efficient as they could be. And when they do start underperforming, it is often because they need some sort of repairs. So, what are the signs your AC unit may be underperforming? Take a look:

Not Achieving the Set Temperature

Maybe your thermostat is set to 72, but your AC unit ever seems to get the home down to 74 before turning off. Or maybe it's set at 73, but your AC can only achieve 74. This failure to achieve the thermostat temperature generally means your AC unit can't output as much cool air as is needed to cool your home. This could be due to anything from a refrigerant leak to faulty wiring. You can try changing the AC filter, as occasionally a dirty filter leads to underperformance. But if that doesn't fix the issue, you need to call an HVAC repair team to investigate.

Driving Up Your Energy Bills

Maybe your AC is keeping your home cool, but it's costing you an arm and a leg to operate. If your AC unit is quite old, the high energy bills may be due to the low efficiency of older units; it's just a feature of how they were made back then. If your AC unit is newer, though, this loss of efficiency usually means something is wrong. You may have a faulty fan that is experiencing friction, causing the motor to work harder. Or, there may be a refrigerant leak that forces the AC unit to stay on longer than it should. Once the problem is fixed, your AC unit should go back to operating efficiently, saving you money in the long term.

Hot and Cold Spots

Are some rooms in your home warm, while others are pleasantly cool? This means your AC unit isn't able to keep up with demands and cool the whole home. The fan may not be operating powerfully enough because it has a worn belt or worn bearings. Or, the refrigerator coil may be leaking, leading to inadequate cooling. Improving your AC unit's performance should lead to more even cooling.

A well-performing AC unit keeps your whole home as cool as you want it, and without costing you a fortune to run. Turn to an air conditioning repair company if you're worried about your unit's performance.

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