Tips on managing your air conditioner during Sacramento’s heat wave

The current, seemingly endless heat wave hitting the Sacramento region and much of the West is putting stress on people in many ways.

As residents look to stay cool, air conditioners are running nearly nonstop in homes that have them. That can lead to not only tired appliances, but big bills.

Mark Toney, executive director of TURN (The Utility Reform Network), said past studies of deadly heat waves have found some people died even though they had air conditioning because of the cost of running it.

“I know a lot of elderly on fixed incomes. They're afraid to turn on the air conditioner, but it's an extremely important thing,” he said. “What we need to do is to push the shareholders to take some of their record profits and give some great relief during this record-breaking heat.”

Toney said his organization has asked the California Public Utility Commission to issue an emergency order during this ongoing heat wave to stop utilities from disconnecting power due to nonpayment. He said PG&E has already agreed to do this from July 4 through the end of this week.

Landlords aren’t required to provide air conditioning in California, though some cities are exploring mandating it locally. Toney said that if your apartment came with an air conditioner, your landlord would still be required to fix it.

“It'd be very important for people to immediately contact their landlord,” he said. “The landlord can be held responsible if they know that the air conditioning is broken and they refuse to do something about it.”

In the meantime, he said one way to save money while still running your AC is to cool your home before the hottest part of the day, when many utilities charge more for electricity. For example, SMUD’s highest rates are weekdays from 5-8 p.m, while some PG&E plans start at 4 p.m.

“So part of what you can do is to pre-cool your home before 4 p.m. and get the temperature as low as you can, in the low 70s,” Toney said. “Then at 4 p.m. to set your temperature as high as you can bear it — 80, 82 — and you should be able to get two or three hours where you don't have the air conditioning running at all.”

Another important aspect is making sure to keep your air conditioner working. With such extreme heat, Sacramento companies like Capital City Comfort and Bonney Heating and Air have seen a spike in demand repairs. 

Capital City Comfort owner Deion Brown said they book urgent appointments 24 hours a day. Brown said air conditioners often fail due to a lack of routine maintenance. 

“Make sure your filters are changed once a month, every 30 days,” he said. “I know the filter says six months. If it’s just a regular filter, just change it every 30 days. Also, keep your outdoor coils clean. And those are two major things that will help.”

Marc Normington, general manager of Bonney Heating and Air, said their workers handle four to five air conditioner maintenance jobs daily. 

“There is a sense of accomplishment in helping people get their AC back up and running,” he said. “Particularly if it’s been down for a day or two, or if there are small children in the house or elderly people or anything, and you can get that back up running and get cold air blowing in their house again, it makes you feel pretty good.” 

He said most home air conditioning units in California are only designed to manage temperatures up to 100 degrees. Setting your desired temperature too low in this heat can cause your unit to work extra hard and possibly fail.