How much space does an outdoor AC unit need?
Coconut Creek is officially the Butterfly Capital of the World, and plenty of yards here are planted to prove it. The condenser needs room among those plants. It pulls air in through its sides and pushes hot air out the top, so anything within a couple of feet blocks the flow. Most manufacturers call for roughly two feet of open space around the sides and several feet above, so check your unit's installation manual for the exact figure. Trim hedges back, keep vines off the cabinet, aim sprinklers away from the coil, and keep mulch and grass clippings off the fins. A unit that can breathe runs shorter cycles and lasts longer.
Source: City of Coconut Creek
What are the easiest ways to lower my AC bill?
Start with the cheapest fix. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that replacing a dirty, clogged filter can lower an air conditioner's energy use by 5% to 15%. After that, keep the outdoor coil clean and clear of plants, keep the indoor coil and drain maintained, and set the thermostat a few degrees warmer when nobody's home. Sealing leaky ducts stops you paying to cool the attic. When an older system finally needs replacing, a correctly sized high-efficiency unit usually brings the biggest single drop in your bill. Maintenance won't make an old system new, but it keeps any system close to the efficiency it was built for.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
