PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Businesses that cater to air conditioners are staying busy.

Stahl Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning has fielded hundreds of calls since the heat wave settled in.

The added strain on air conditioning units is causing many of them to shut down.

“When you get to be 95 degrees like it is today, they just work too hard,” Roger Newman, of Stahl Plumbing, said. “You’re only going to get about 15 degrees cooler inside than it is outside, so if it’s 95 outside today, you’re only getting it down to 80 inside.”

Daryl Milliner knows about extremes firsthand. He recalls when his AC went out.

“It didn’t go out right away. Throughout the day you can feel the house heating up,” he explained. “So by four o’clock it was unbearable.”

If you don’t have air conditioning, there are ways to stay cool.

Keep the blinds drawn during the day. Letting the sunshine in will only make your home hotter.

If you have ceiling fans, run them counterclockwise. This will circulate the air. If they run clockwise, it will bring the heat down.

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