Maximize your air conditioner’s overall efficiency

Is your unit blowing air, but the air doesn’t feel cold? Turn the unit off and notify the property manager immediately.

As another Houston summer sizzles, pause for a moment in memory of Willis Carrier. After graduating with an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1901, Carrier started work with the Buffalo Forge company, where he began trying to solve a quality control problem for a publishing company that was having trouble handling paper products because of the humidity in their building. In 1906, Carrier was granted a patent for his Apparatus for Treating Air, the first modern air conditioner.

And what a wonderful invention it is.

Here are some tips to make sure your apartment’s air conditioning system keeps you cool all season:

Most Houston apartments have central air conditioning, with a separate compressor and condenser for each unit. They all have filters that need changing frequently — generally every four weeks or so, especially in the summer. Under most lease agreements, this is done by the management staff. If you’re responsible for your filters, make sure you change them regularly.

Most return vents are in the ceiling, or high on the wall. If yours is lower, make sure you don’t have furniture or anything else blocking the return vent.

Is your unit blowing air, but the air doesn’t feel cold? Turn the unit off and notify the property manager immediately. Most leases require you to do this in writing. It’s a good idea in any event, so there’s a record of what you asked for and when you asked. It may just need coolant, but there may be a leak. Running an air conditioner with insufficient coolant can damage the unit.

Is your unit “leaking” fluid? That’s probably water from the condensate drain — a small pipe or hose that comes from a pan under the unit — often above your ceiling or in a closet. Your manager can generally have that cleared out quickly.

Here’s a couple of money-saving tips. Don’t put a lamp or another device that gives off heat next to your thermostat — that may cause your unit to run longer than necessary. During day, keep your blinds and/or curtains closed, particularly in windows that face west. If your front door needs weather-stripping to keep the cool air inside your apartment, ask the manager.

Carrier passed away in 1950, but his invention did as much to make Houston a world-class city than anything else.