With the high temperatures we are now experiencing many people are looking for ways to make their air conditioners more energy efficient and effective.  There are several devices advertised out there that are supposed to do just that, and in the short term they do, but what about the long term?  

One such device is a mister for your outside A/C unit.  The claim is that a mister will cool the outside unit down making it work better and cool your home for less money.  However, and this is a big however, by putting water on the unit time and time again you will begin to build up mineral deposits much like your shower door does.  As the mineral deposits build on the fins of the unit outside it becomes less and less efficient and shortening the life of the unit due to the buildup.  Well if you end up replacing the unit 5 years sooner than expected have you really saved anything?  

Another item is a special additive to your coolant that will make your system run better, cool better, and last longer. Here is how I look at it with a little common sense; no manufacturer is putting these additives into their systems, why?  If they are so good all the manufacturers would be using them, right?  Let's face it with competition being so tight in the industry every manufacture is looking for ways to raise the efficiency of their units, but these special additives tend to shorten the life of the compressor and no manufacture wants a reputation of having short-lived compressors.  

Simply the best thing you can do is make sure your inside and outside units are kept clean so the air flows freely, and the coolant levels are kept where they should be.  In other words, do your routine maintenance, change the filters on a regular basis and use a programmable thermostat and you can save money on your energy bill without shortening the life of your system.

Texas Home Improvement recommends: