Many homeowners often find that their energy bill spikes when the weather starts to heat up during the late spring and summer season. But it doesn’t need to be that way. If you want to keep your home and family cool and use less energy, here is a list of simple tips to help reduce your summer cooling costs.
Tip One: Make Your Windows Work for You
Your windows are a great tool to help cool off your home and save on your energy bills. To prevent the sun from heating your house, keep the shades closed during peak daylight hours on windows that get direct sunlight. Also, make sure to keep your windows and doors closed as much as possible when you are running your air conditioner to keep the cool air inside.
At night, you can take advantage of natural ventilation by lowering or turning off your AC and opening your windows when the temperature is chillier. Just make sure you have screens on your widows to keep out the bugs. If you have a programmable thermostat, this is a great opportunity to set a cooling schedule on it.
Tip Two: Seal Your Home
It’s important to check your home for places that air can leak out, paying close attention to areas around doors and windows. Your cooling system will have to work overtime if the cool air inside your home has a chance to escape outside. Seal up any cracks and openings you find with caulk or weather stripping to ensure the cool air stays inside and the hot air stays out.
Tip Three: Utilize Your Thermostat
A good rule of thumb when setting your thermostat, is the smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be. If your keen on saving on your cooling costs, try raising your thermostat just a few degrees higher than you have in the past.
Also, think about setting your thermostat at a slightly higher temperature when you are away from the house, so your air conditioner doesn’t have to waste as much energy cooling your home when no one is inside. This is made easier with a programable thermostat, which allows you to set schedules for when you are away from the house so it can lower and raise the temperature automatically.
Lastly, avoid setting your thermostat to a lower degree in the hopes it will cool your home faster. The temperature of your thermostat has no effect on the speed to which your cooling system can heat your home. This ultimately makes your system work harder, and can result in excessive cooling and unnecessary energy expenses.
Tip Four: Use Fans Effectively
When it comes to saving energy on your cooling system, fans can be your best friend. They can help circulate air throughout your house and make you feel cooler; so you can keep your thermostat at a higher temperature and still be comfortable indoors. Just remember to turn off your fans when you leave to conserve energy.
You should also make use of ventilating fans that are in your bathroom and kitchen when you are cooking or taking a shower to help remove excess heat and humidity and keep your home cool.
Tip Five: Rethink The Way You Use Appliances
Ovens, dryers, televisions, and other appliances typically emit heat while they are being used, leaving your air conditioner to work a little harder on those hot days. To keep your home cool and comfortable, avoid using your appliances during the hottest hours of the day. Instead try taking advantage of the wonderful weather outdoors by hanging your clothes outside instead of running the dryer, or having a barbeque rather than firing up your stove.
Tip Six: Maintain Your Cooling System
It’s always a good idea to maintain your cooling system to ensure that it is using energy effectively, and to extend its life. Be sure to regularly change your filter. Also routinely clean your home’s air intake vents to remove dust build up and keep your vents clear of anything blocking air from flowing through your cooling system. This reduces the amount of energy your air conditioning needs to circulate cold air around your home.
An air conditioning maintenance check from an HVAC expert is another way to guarantee your system is working at peak efficiency. Keeping cool and comfortable all summer long shouldn’t have to cost you a fortune. Make sure your cooling system is running in tip top shape all season long by scheduling a routine maintenance check with the Tudi experts today.