As we gear up for more heat, people throughout the state are bracing.
The heat wave is taking a toll on people and their AC units, causing overtime for service companies. But, there are a few things you can do to keep the cool air flowing in your house.
Code Red extreme heat alert is returning. Temps will near 100 four days in a row, with heat indexes reaching 110.
You're not going to want to go through what Roger Alston had to experience.
"It was hot, probably 110 in my house," said Alston, a Baltimore City resident. At the start of summer, his window AC unit stopped working.
"I had to buy another one, that one lasted me 12 years though",” said Alston.
A $300 expense that he's trying to make sure doesn't happen again anytime soon.
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"I got window AC, so I pull the filter out and wash them, clean them all that good stuff," said Alston.
It's something that brings overtime for service employees.
"The phone has just been ringing pretty much nonstop. Today was the slowest day the entire week. So, it's been pretty steady, every day. The guys have been working late,” said Matthew Lane, a Field Tech and Office Manager at Reliability Home Services in Dundalk.
He said the number one thing to keep your cooling system from breaking down is annual maintenance.
"Keep on the system, keep up with it and check the filters,” said Lan. “Check the filters in your system and make sure you're changing that regularly. That seems to help a lot and keeps things running properly."
He said motors are the biggest parts that tend to fail. In older equipment, getting things replaced before it's a total breakdown can prevent you from draining your wallet.
"If you think you're saving a few bucks by turning it off when not home," Lane said, "Honestly shutting it off is probably the worst thing just because when it gets really hot, when the system first fires up, it's a lot of energy draw to get everything up and running and it take a long time for it to cool back down."
Bumping it up a few degrees instead will keep the unit from straining.
For some though, beating the heat comes in a different form when trying to save on more than just the AC.
"I'm just cruising around in my car with the windows down because I’m saving my money. So, I don't like to use the AC too much," said Daniel Ramos, a Dundalk reisdent.
The most important thing to remember is to stay hydrated and find a place to stay cool. This heat is serious. So far this year, six people in Maryland have died from the heat.
