Practical HVAC Tips For Lower Cooling Costs In Louisiana Heat

We talk with HVAC technician Joseph Long about how to stay comfortable in Louisiana heat without letting electric bills explode. We focus on the small habits and maintenance choices that cut cooling costs, reduce humidity problems, and prevent those dreaded weekend breakdowns. 

• what drives high electric bills: usage, thermostat habits, equipment condition 
• setting the thermostat higher when away without creating humidity issues 
• why shutting the AC off all day can lead to moisture and mildew smells 
• what HVAC maintenance looks like and what homeowners can safely do 
• when frequent repairs and unit age point to replacement 
• why refrigerant should not keep getting low and why leak checks matter 
• how to pick an AC filter that protects airflow and fits your budget 
• why breakdowns feel like they happen on Friday nights and what to check first 
• choosing a reputable HVAC pro: licensing, confidence, quality work 
• using blackout curtains and tracking indoor humidity for better efficiency 

Subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast, and visit neighborsfcu.org slash financial wellness for more tools to help you build a strong financial future.

Transcript

Welcome And Summer Electric Bills

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have, make the money you need, and save the money you want. Now, here is your host, Miss Kim Chapman.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

Well, you asked for it. You wanted winter to go away, and now the heat is here. But you know what comes with heat? Those high electric bills. And how can we manage those? Well, today we will find out because with relief heating and air, we have Mr. Joseph Long returning, and he's going to give us some additional tips on how we can enjoy the warmer weather without the hot, heated electric bills. Welcome back, Mr. Long.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 0:43

So have you seen a real uptick? I mean, I know all winter long it was cold. We had several really, really chilly days. And you know, Louisiana, I guess we're just not really satisfied. When it's hot, we want it to be cold. And when it's cold, we want it to be hot. But the heat is here. And it seems like when the heat is here, it just does not go away. It just gets a little bit hotter and hotter and hotter. And then we start to see the electric bill climb just a little bit every month. And by August, it's it's kind of ridiculous. And so we're hoping that you can give us some really good tips. So what have you seen? As have you started getting those calls yet?

SPEAKER_00 1:20

I started getting a few calls here and there. Uh I know everybody gets a little bit more comfortable whenever it's around 70 to 75 degrees uh outside. Uh, nobody really bothers me too much with that. Uh it's usually whenever we start hitting the 85 to 90 degree days, you know, that we've started really getting things in. Um we've been getting a lot of cool uh, you know, calls coming in uh where everybody's a little bit colder, um, needs their heat checked and everything. But I know we're leading to the uh hotter months.

What Really Drives Higher Bills

SPEAKER_02 1:54

So yes, they're underway. What do you think is the real culprit? Is it the equipment? Is it the usage? Is it the bad habits? You know, as a parent, you know, I've seen kids when they were little, they go in, they go out. What do you think is the real culprit that makes those bills increase so high in the world?

SPEAKER_00 2:11

I would say it could be a little of all three. Uh the reason is, I mean, as far as usage goes, you can be using it a little bit too much more than you think you can. Uh, as far as habits go, you're you're constantly messing with that thermostat switching from heat to cool, heat to cool, uh, especially right now since it's so early in the year and you know, Louisiana weather is just so bipolar. Um, and then I can go ahead and say that it can be the equipment uh because if you're not getting it maintenance, you know, it can be a problem where you're leading out the factory that you're losing cold air somewhere else whenever you're trying to get it just straight into your home, it can be released down into the attic from any kind of air leaks or lack of maintenance uh where your outside unit is just struggling at itself.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

So it can be a combination of things. Yes, we're what do you find is the biggest mistake or worse habit that consumers have that can contribute to a high electric bill?

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Uh I would just go ahead and uh say that it could be with the mainly the lack of maintenance on it. Lack of maintenance.

Thermostat Settings And Smart Control

SPEAKER_02 3:14

So, you know, it's starting to get warm, and I'm pretty sure at this point it's it's here to stay. What are some things? What are some tips that you could give to consumers, you know, at the start of the warm season that they could do to help offset some of those costs?

SPEAKER_00 3:29

Uh I would go ahead and uh say just make sure you're, you know, going in and out of the house so much. Um I would uh try to relieve some of that traffic, just keeping uh, you know, your uh doors closed, your windows closed as well. I mean, that way you're not letting in radiant of heat. Uh I would go ahead and just set your temperature a little bit higher during the day, especially whenever you're not home.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

So you said a little bit higher. Can you put a number on that? I hear so many different things. 78, 80. I know when I leave, I turn it probably all the way up to 80, 85 because I think at 78 it will still come on. And like you said, I don't want the AC running if I'm not at home.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Uh I I would say about you know, if you're gonna leave for a little while, I'd be saying about 75, 76. 75, 76. Yes, ma'am. No, I mean if you're gonna be gone for a lot longer and you're not worried about as much, you can go ahead and raise it a little bit higher. I know people are more comfortable with doing it. How you're saying around 78 to 80 degrees, you know, if you're not gonna be home for a little while, but what really helps out with that is you know, getting um a thermostat, you can go ahead and program it to your phone and you can go ahead and utilize that. So before you even get home, you can go ahead and set the temperature down and get it cooling in there.

Turning AC Off And Humidity Risk

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Yes, I have to agree with you. I think that's one of the best purchases I ever made was a Bluetooth thermostat because, you know, if I forgot to turn the air up or down, I could go ahead and use my phone and do it. I know when we would go on vacation, I'd turn it off, but who wants to come home to a hot house? I could turn it on. So let me ask you this question. Does your AC unit work if I leave it off and then I come home and it's hot? Is that bad compared to if I leave it and then it's coming on and off? I mean, which one is gonna be worse? Having it come on at five o'clock and it's gotta work really, really hard to cool down or letting it run throughout the day?

SPEAKER_00 5:23

I would say uh it's probably uh bad to go ahead and just go ahead and leave it off all day and then not have anything going on in the house, uh, because you could uh potentially cause a lot more moisture issues inside the home. Uh you don't want any kind of mildew kind of smell happening uh within your home or with your furniture or anything, because it can go ahead and hurt your furniture. Um, because your house is like a refrigerator. So whenever you go ahead and uh put things in it and it's starting to cool, then you know you're having everything else cooling in a house. So whenever you go ahead and remove yourself from that, that's why like your glasses turn fog in whenever you go outside, you know, because it's just so cool in your house and you're just trying to keep it that same steady temperature. So I wouldn't really raise it, you know, no more. That's why I recommend I wouldn't raise it no more than like five degrees whenever you leave the house because you don't want a lot of that humidity to start building up inside.

Maintenance Filters Refrigerant Replace Decisions

SPEAKER_02 6:17

Okay. So earlier you mentioned maintenance. Talk to us a little bit about well, what is maintenance? Why should I have my unit maintenance? What is the benefit? What is the process? And is it just maintenance that professionals perform? Is there maintenance that the consumer themselves can perform?

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Uh, I have a uh select view of homeowners that uh likely clean the units themselves. Uh I would just say if they did do that, go ahead and you know keep the water away from the electrical panel as much as you can on the side of the outdoor unit. Um, and they, you know, say they clean up their coils, you know, very thoroughly and just try to get all that grime off of there. We do this sort of the same thing. Uh ours potentially leads to uh chemicals and stuff. I know uh some people use like the simple green whenever they go ahead and use it because they don't have access to the AC chemicals like we do whenever it comes to getting the grime and uh off of it. Uh I will go ahead and uh say whenever it comes to us, though, we go ahead and take all the panels off of the unit. Uh we have full access of the coils, and then we're able to get every single bit of that debris off. So there's some things that they could be missing along the lines.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

What are some signs that you might need to replace your AC?

SPEAKER_00 7:35

The signs that I see that uh we need to do to go ahead and replace our AC is if we're coming out there like let's say every few weeks or every few months, you know, and it's the same thing, keep on going on. It might need lead to uh replacing your AC system, also due to the age factor as well. Like you don't want a 15, 20-year-old unit that is barely getting you by and can keep on causing you problems for me to keep on coming out, you're going to spend more money doing that versus in the long run, you can go ahead and have warranty for these things uh for a new system to be replaced.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

I think whenever I've ever had to do an AC repair man come out to the house, the best news I ever received was, oh, you're just low on coolant. How do you know the difference between there's a problem with the unit and it's just low on coolant? And then can you maybe even tell us if I just had coolant put in this summer, how long should it be before I could expect that I might need to have coolant put in again?

SPEAKER_00 8:31

I would say whenever you first have a potential of a coolant loss issue, it is it could be more on we need to figure out the issue right then and there. Because if you don't and you keep on getting by, getting by year after year, um, it can potentially lead to where you're having to fill that thing up, you know, every uh two or three months.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

So it's not normal for coolant to go low. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Uh now I know sometimes whenever people hook up their gauges, if they don't have any low loss fittings or any kind of uh valve shut-off fittings on their gauges, now you can lose a little bit at a time, but as the time goes on and you doing that year after year checking their refrigerant, it you know, you gotta have a technician that's gonna make sure that that same amount of refrigerant is gonna be in that system and stay in that system. So I don't hook up my gauges unless there is a potential problem with the refrigerant.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

Okay, that's really, really good to know. So let's talk a little bit about filters. You know, if we go to the stores basically Walmart, you can find filters as you know, little as four or five dollars all the way up to$30 a filter. What should we look at?

SPEAKER_00 9:39

Uh, I would say, you know, stay within your budget uh if if you can. Um, I wouldn't go ahead and buy all these expensive filters with the you know major allergens and stuff because some of it could be restricting more airflow than go ahead and give you the maximum airflow you need. Uh, because every filter is built for a different application of whether it be an office or whether it be, you know, in your home or uh industrial. So you want to make sure that it's gonna be uh just a regular pleated filter is what you mainly need because you want to make sure it's gonna catch all those uh allergens, all the dust going through the system and uh right before it gets to your blower or your coil.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

Now I have a question that I know that you're really not gonna have the answer for, but why is it that our AC units always break on a Friday after five o'clock?

SPEAKER_00 10:30

I would say uh I might have an answer for it. Uh that answer would be because more people are home on a Friday afternoon. So throughout the week, you're not worried about it, you're not thinking about it, you're thinking maybe it's a little bit hot, but you're not really sure. But whenever you're finally home on a Friday evening, just getting in, and you're just trying to relax, you start seeing there maybe there is an issue actually going on with it. Uh, and then that's when a lot of people will just call in on the weekend and uh have somebody come out and try to service their system for them.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

And is it always that the weekends are considered emergency calls?

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Uh potentially most of the time, yes.

SPEAKER_02 11:10

Is there anything that a homeowner can do to coast from Friday to Monday to, you know, kind of avoid having to pay those high emergency weekend costs?

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Uh a lot of people will go ahead and just try to wait it out as much as they can until they can't, you know, if they can't bear it, they have to call out, which I understand. Um what people usually do is they'll go ahead and maybe get like a little fan window unit just to get them by for a little bit. Um, but most of the time, you know, they do call out if they really need it. Um they try to get by that weekend, though, if they can.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

So if somebody's facing a major repair, you've gone out, you looked at it, and you've given them that quote and you know they feign it yet again. How can they really determine whether they should invest in repairing it or just going ahead and replacing that unit?

SPEAKER_00 11:59

So what I usually do is I just go ahead and give them as many options as possible because whenever you let's say you go to a grocery store, you're always looking for a different option of different products. So what I like to do is give you the same thing whenever it comes to your AC stuff. Um, I want to make sure, all right, this is what how much this is going to cost for this part, or we can go ahead and replace this system and you're gonna get X, Y, and Z, 10 years of warranty, you know, all the nine yards of um making sure everything is gonna be staying in good condition for you uh with a new system versus an old system that's starting to crap out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

And those units definitely are not cheap. So somebody can't afford to just go ahead and do a full replacement. Are there some things that they can do to extend the life of that unit?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

I would say, you know, just try to keep an eye on it, maybe it a little bit. We can try to, you know, get somebody by for a little while and while they uh wait. We usually try to recommend, you know, go ahead and start trying to save up at certain points in times. Uh whenever we uh start seeing uh signs that it it's going out. Uh other than that, I don't really see anything where people can go ahead and it's either working or it's not, huh? Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

So are there's sometimes hidden costs people overlook, you know, when they're constantly just trying to put the band-aid on a unit?

SPEAKER_00 13:23

Uh I would go ahead and whenever the hidden cost comes is you're going ahead and dumping so much money into uh having your AC system re uh repaired that uh the hidden costs and fees that you would be dealing with is that you're dumping money into getting that system re uh repaired and getting it by, putting band-aids on it, and then by the time you're built up enough, you could have went ahead and had a whole nother system replaced.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

And so if somebody of course is looking for an AC person, a HVAC person, you know, how do they know that they are getting somebody that's qualified, that's reputable, and then almost, you know, somebody that they can actually trust? What are some things that they can do to assure that they're gonna get a good person in their home and that they're gonna get good quality work?

SPEAKER_00 14:13

I would say you go ahead and uh you can make sure they're licensed, make sure they're gonna do everything they need to do. Uh see what qualities that they kind of carry for that company. Uh, you want somebody that's gonna pretty much have a good head on their shoulders, be confident in what they're saying, and uh be able to readily work whenever it's time to.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

So what are some things that you've gone out to for a call and it was something so simple that the homeowner really could have fixed themselves?

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Uh I would say half the time it's probably a dead battery and a thermostat, if uh a thermostat does have batteries, uh, which most of them do still. Um, and then I would go ahead and say maybe a flipped breaker, which whenever you do have a tripped breaker, it could be overamping, but we still probably need to come out. But to get them by for a little while, you can sometimes flip the breaker after it's been tripped and go ahead and get yourself back running until we can get out there.

SPEAKER_02 15:12

Yeah. I had a friend that happened to her. She called out the repair people and that's all it was. They just needed to flip the breaker. So again, very, very expensive when you think of, oh, all I needed to do it. What's some of the worst situations that you've seen when you've had to go out and do an AC unit?

Tough Jobs Heat Safety And Real Stories

SPEAKER_00 15:28

Uh, I would say the worst is uh here recently I went ahead and had a leak in a wall. So I had to go ahead and actually cut out the uh side of the wall. Uh the shower was on the other side, on the inside, so I had to actually cut the exterior part of the wall just to get to it because it had some sighting people go ahead and uh hit a nail into it, into the line set.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Now in Louisiana, it gets hotter than hot, and I know you guys have to go in the attic, which is even hotter. So is there ever a point in time in the summer, in the daytime, that you're not gonna go out?

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Uh I would say we pretty much go out every single time. So it don't matter if uh how hot it gets, we usually try to take as much break as we can in between calls, but most of the time it's a rush thing. We gotta go ahead and get in and get out as quick as we can. So we gotta make sure we're knowing every piece of information we need to know about the equipment uh as much as possible before we get to the job. So we might ask the homeowners about it, and then whenever we're there, that way we can go straight to what we need to do and then get out as quick as possible.

SPEAKER_02 16:43

Now, you know, I love the technology. As I mentioned, I love my Bluetooth thermostat. But at the end of the day, in terms of efficiency, if somebody has one of those older ones where you have a little lever and you got to lift it up and lift it down, is there any real benefit in swapping it out and having m a more modern thermostat installed?

SPEAKER_00 17:02

I would say uh the main benefit is I would say more of the Wi-Fi capability and being able to check it. The other thing is uh some thermostats will also show a humidity reading in the home as well. So you want to in Louisiana, you want it to be about 55% or below inside the home. So if you're not getting that, then uh we need to look at other things.

unknown 17:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

So as again, we're facing this heat and we're worried about those bills. Any other tips that you can give to homeowners that they can kind of soften the blow of those bills, kind of reduce it as much as they can?

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Uh, I would go ahead and just uh try to uh keep the uh curtains closed in the house as much as possible, the doors kind of uh closed and not have too much traffic going in and out. Uh I know that everybody likes to have their windows open and uh see the sunshine during the summertime, but here in Louisiana, you just can't really, you know, have that happening all the time like you want to.

SPEAKER_02 18:03

And I'm glad you mentioned that because I know that there are blackout curtains. Are there any curtains, you know, or uh window drapings that you ref that you would um prefer or recommend over others?

SPEAKER_00 18:14

I will say I do like the blackout curtains. There's not really uh uh any other that I recommend for that.

Blueprint Tips Guest Info And Subscribe

SPEAKER_02 18:19

So Okay, so good blackout. All right. Any other information and that you want our consumers to know? And if not, definitely tell them how they can reach you.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

Uh y'all can reach me at uh 225-244-0520 or reach me at reliefheatingair.com. And I also have a Facebook page for Relief Heating and Air LLC. Um, and we did change our motto here uh not too long ago from we will bring back to the comfort to your home to uh the relief you deserve. So uh we're making big changes here. And uh if you're willing to help us grow, go ahead and call us today.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

All right, well, Mr. Lone, thank you so much. You know, we'll have you back after we survive the heat, and maybe we'll see some tips for to get ready for that cold since every year it seems to get a little bit colder. Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

It's time for blueprint building blocks. Small changes that lead to big financial wins. Let's stack up for success.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

Avoid midsummer breakdowns by booking a professional inspection now. Dirty filters they can strain your system, so make sure that you get a new clean one. And like our expert said, that fits your budget. Raise the temperature a few degrees. I know it may feel a little uncomfortable, but it's definitely better than an uncomfortably high bill.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

That's a wrap on today's blueprint building block. Stay on track with your financial journey. Subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast, and visit neighborsfcu.org slash financial wellness for more tools to help you build a strong financial future.