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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — With sweltering heat hitting the Natural State, many are thinking of creative ways to ensure that their homes reach peak cooling during the heatwave. China Water Air Cooler

With relief still quite some time away, a post out of Corpus Christi, Texas is claiming that people can help their AC units by putting up a shade umbrella. 

We took the question to our local experts at Airmasters, who said that you shouldn't waste your time on trying it.

Instead, they said that you should prioritize two other things: changing your air filters and refraining from touching the thermostat.

"As that [AC] system starts to work, it's got to remove all that heat and all that humidity not just from the air, but from your furniture and everything else," said Airmaster experts. "It [shading] is just is not an energy efficient way to try to save some money."

For your outside unit, they said to make sure weeds aren't choking it. They also said that you should spray it down if it's covered in pollen or call Airmasters for a deep clean to help performance. 

So we can Verify —  no, shading your AC with an umbrella won't make it cooler.

So, whether it's winter or summer, the experts said you don't want to adjust your thermostat more than five degrees in either direction. 

The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »

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