Summer is here and so is the heat! This had made many of us run to turn on our air conditioners, but have you thought about how flipping that switch is going to affect your electric bill? Lucky for you I have some low to no cost ways to save on air conditioning.
One easy trick is to use fans instead of air conditioners. Continuous moving air can often make the room feel much cooler and more comfortable. This will help your A/C by moving around the cold air, helping it cool down the large area as well as make it feel cooler. Something better then a stationary fan is ceiling fans, they do a much better job at dispersing air, therefore making your A/C more efficient. Another great way to save on air conditioning is to increase the thermostat on your unit. You can spend some time finding the most tolerable temperature instead of instantly setting it to the lowest temperature available. According to research even just setting your thermostat at 78 degrees instead of 72 can save you as much as 18% on your cooling costs.
Another simple way to save on air conditioning is avoiding turning on anything inside your home that generates heat such as your oven, dishwasher or even dryer. During the summer we do most of our cooking outside on the grill, not only does it cut down on heat inside our home, it also eliminates some dishes. Along with not running the major appliances that generate heat, there are many small electronics in our homes that generate a lot of heat, such as gaming consoles, computers and other things that are running constantly. Another things we can do to avoid letting in heat from the outside is to make sure all the windows are closed tight, and covered by light colored window treatments such as shades and curtains.
Another way to save on air conditioning during the hot summers is to make sure your air conditioner is well maintained. A dirty and clogged air conditioner blocks air flow which forces your unit to work harder, which makes it use more energy. Make sure that while you’re using your A/C unit you clean or change the filters once a month. If you have a central air system, making sure to keep the vents free of clutter and cleaned can make a big difference in it’s efficiency and energy consumption. Be sure to be int ouch with your HVAC company to set up a maintenance program to keep things clean and running at peak efficiency.
There are a number of things you can due during the hot days to save on air conditioning and energy. Contact 207 Plumbing and Heating today to make sure that your HVAC unit is clean and running at peak performance. Let’s all do what we can to save on energy, your cooling costs and help cool the planet.