Montgomery County HVAC company offers tips to keep homes cool in extreme heat
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Air Done Right, based in Montgomery County, offered money-saving tips to keep homes cool during this week's forecasted extreme heat. In South Philadelphia, Desmond Hudson was not trying to relive the first week of July.
"It got really warm pretty quick," he said.
His central air-conditioning unit went out.
"It was so hot, my wife wanted to go actually downtown and get a hotel, and I was like, 'Babes, we can make it,'" Hudson said.
He then called a company for service. But in his neighborhood where all the homes were built and the AC units were installed around the same time 20 years ago, Hudson was not alone.
"The summer has been very, very hectic," said Air Done Right owner Jermaine Howard. He added homeowners can get service before the outdoor units stop working.
"Our spring cleanings and our AC tune-ups require us to clean this coil so that it can throw out as much heat as possible," he said.
Howard also said window coverings are an inexpensive way to save energy and money.
"Where the sun hits the house at, you probably want to close those windows, pull those shades down," Howard said. "You don't want that house to get what's called latent heat."
He also said running your air conditioner when you are not at home can actually help you save on your energy bills.
"Turn your air conditioner down so it doesn't necessarily cool the house, but definitely drop it down a few degrees as opposed to completely cutting it off," he said.
That is what Hudson does now with a programmable thermostat. He said getting his AC unit serviced helped his home stay cooler for less money.
"You could literally still feel the air up here," Hudson says as held his hand chest-high over the floor vent. "That's not what it was before."
Air Done Right and other companies also install window units for low-income neighbors
If you need help keeping your home cool, call your local municipality so you can stay cool and safe this summer.
