Should You Shade Your AC? MN Homeowners Need to Know Now

It might sound strange, but some Minnesota homeowners are now breaking out umbrellas—not for shade at the lake, but for their air conditioners. But why are they doing it—and does it work?

This viral trick promises cooler temps and lower utility bills, but does putting your AC in the shade during a heatwave in Minnesota actually work, or does it just look weird? Here's what we found out.

This hack raises an important question many of us in the Land of 10,000 Lakes might be asking, seeing as air conditioning is pretty common in many homes these days. And having your a/c work at peak efficiency during a summer heatwave is something most Minnesotans want.

SEE ALSO: The Best AC Temp For Comfort & Savings in MN This Summer 

This CBS Minnesota story reports that a whopping 91 percent of homes in the Midwest, including the Bold North, have some form of air conditioning. (Or 'air con' as they say over in Europe.) And of those who do have air conditioning, roughly 75 percent use central air, compared to just 22 percent for window units. And single-family homes are much more likely to have air conditioning, compared to apartments.

So does a hack making the rounds about covering your a/c unit with an umbrella or tent make it more efficient?

This story from Piggie Harris at Kiss 103.1 in Killeen, Texas-- where dealing with heat and humidity is something they do every day-- says that 'tenting' or putting an umbrella over your air conditioner is a hack that has 'many proven benefits.'

Harris notes that 'once you cover your air conditioner, it gives the air conditioner shade, which allows it to cool off and prevent anything from happening to your air conditioner pipes like freezing.'

However, I'm guessing not too many a/c units in the Bold North (or Texas, for that matter) are freezing up right now because they're not properly shaded. Air conditioners DO freeze up, of course, but as this story notes, freeze-ups are usually caused by clogged filters or trying to operate the a/c when it's too cool outside.

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And, in fact, THIS story from WBRC-TV 6 in Birmingham, Alabama (where they're also used to some punishing heat and humidity) says that tenting or covering your a/c with an umbrella can actually make things WORSE.

That's because air conditioning units are usually designed to draw air from the sides, cool indoor spaces, and then expel hot air from the top. But if you have an umbrella or tent that's placed too low over the top of your a/c unit, it can actually cause it to work much harder, seeing as 'all of the hot air it’s discharging out the top gets looped right back down to the unit and it can’t dissipate that heat,' WBRC says.

ALSO INTERESTING: Use This Hack to Keep Your A/C Working Smoothly This Summer in MN

The story did say that an a/c unit operating in the shade-- like from an awning on the house or pergola that's placed well above the fan-- can sometimes operate around 3% more efficiently. So perhaps THAT's where the hack originated. But overall, it's best to NOT put an umbrella over your a/c here in Minnesota or anywhere else.

Meanwhile, all the rain and storms that have hit Minnesota over the past few weeks mean many waterfalls are flowing again this summer. Keep scrolling to check out some waterfalls that are Minnesota's most magical!

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