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Pro tip: a neighbor in Phoenix told me to shade my AC unit, and my July bill dropped $47
Two summers back I was complaining to my neighbor Ray about my power bill hitting $310 in July, and he said the cheapest climate fix he ever made was building a little shade frame over his AC condenser. I nodded and forgot about it for a year because it sounded too easy. Then last spring I finally built one out of scrap 2x4s and a piece of lattice, maybe $22 total, and set it so it blocks the afternoon sun but still lets air flow around all sides. My July bill came in at $263, and the house actually cooled faster during the 110 degree stretch we got in mid July. I checked online afterward and the advice is real, as long as you leave a few feet of clearance and don't box the unit in. Only catch is you have to keep the vents and fins clean or the shade does nothing. Has anyone else messed with shade cloth or a trellis near their condenser, and did you see a drop or did it turn out to be a wash?
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xena_jackson11d ago
Read the same thing, shade helps but only if airflow stays good.
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