People always refer to the inevitability of death and taxes. For homeowners, utility bills are another inevitable occurrence that really can't be avoided, and nobody enjoys dealing with. Of course, the higher your bills are, the more annoying they are to pay. And so, it is understandable that homeowners makes so many investments into their home that are purely aimed at reducing their utility bills each month.

When it comes to the consumption of electricity, a large portion often comes from the energy used to power your HVAC appliances. So, if you want to actually reduce your utility bills by a sizable amount, the HVAC system is a great place to start. Furthermore, you should focus on the components within your HVAC system that use the most electricity. If your home has air conditioning, it is definitely going to be the compressor that consumes the most electricity. But, what is the compressor, where is it, and how can it be made more efficient?

What the Compressor Does

The compressor is basically the motor inside your air conditioner. The air conditioner cabinet, which is outside of your home, houses the compressor. It is usually below the fan and cannot be accessed without removing the fan from the AC cabinet. The compressor is definitely not a component you should work on yourself. It is connected to high voltage electricity, and should only be handled by a licensed contractor.

Essentially, a compressor converts electricity to cold, compressed air. This is where the cold air is created. From here, it is circulated into the duct system. Usually, since the compressor makes up for large percentage of energy consumption, it is one part of the unit that needs to be serviced and repaired more often than other parts. If you have your compressor inspected and tuned up once every couple of years, you'll probably get more out of it.

Despite the importance of compressor maintenance, it remains one of the most commonly replaced components in an HVAC system. The compressor can fail even though the rest of the AC unit is in good shape. So, rather than replacing the entire unit, homeowners have the option of just replacing the compressor for a fraction of the price. Even just installing a new compressor is going to cost several hundred dollars, but this is nothing compared to the thousands you will have to spend on a new air conditioner. In conclusion, the compressor is very important and it needs to be maintained.

Contact a residential air conditioning installation and repair service to learn more.