8 Smart Ways to Save Energy and Cut Air Conditioning Costs

Your air conditioner can increase your electricity bill by up to 60%, but you can lessen the impact of your AC by making some easy and minor adjustments around your home. Simply follow these 7 steps and you’ll stay cooler without having to spend a lot of money.

1. Invest in a Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat is a huge money-saver and will easily pay for itself in a single cooling season in many cases.

A programmable thermostat never forgets to shut off the system when you’re not home, or adjust the temperature when you can get away with it. There are many new systems that allow you to manage your home’s temperature from the luxury of your own smartphone. This allows you to have total control over your heating and cooling system in your home; being able to keep it off majority of the day and turn it on half an hour before you get home.

The main function of a thermostat is to stop that compressor when the temperature in your home reaches a comfortable level, keeping the unit from working harder and using a lot of energy. To receive the maximum amount of savings, set your programmable thermostat to a higher temperature when you are not home and lower it to 25 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit) when you are indoors. If 25 degrees sounds too hot, remember that your air conditioner will remove majority of the humidity from your air, making it actually feel much cooler than it seems.

2. Clean Your AC Filters Regularly

Cleaning your AC filters regularly is the second most important thing you and your family can do to reduce your electricity bill. Even if your home is kept relatively clean, natural dust and hair can still accumulate and can end up clogging your filter. This makes your air conditioning unit use more power to reach the temperature you set. In order for your electricity bill to stay relatively low, you must clean your filters (if you have the washable kind) once a month.

3. Close All the Vents in the Lower Areas of Your Home

AS you may remember form your science classes in school, hot air tends to rise while cool air falls. In your home you may notice that it is very hard to keep the second story of your house cool, while your basement is always cool.

In this case, you should close all the vents in the lower areas of your home. This will redirect the cold air to the warmer areas in your home and keeps the temperature more even without consuming more energy.

4. Use Ceiling Fans for Air Circulation

Having a ceiling fan helps to offset the natural tendency for cool air to fall. If you are trying to save energy by keeping your home set to a slightly warmer temperature, ceiling fans are a great way to keep air circulating while using significantly less energy. In fact, they can make you feel up to 8 degrees cooler because they continuously keep the air moving–it’s like a constant fresh breeze inside your home!

5. Schedule an HVAC Check Up Annually

Schedule an annual HVAC check up and you’ll increase the energy efficiency of your unit while lengthening the service life of your air conditioning system. HVAC technicians inspect and service your unit to ensure it is operating efficiently. What they do is they remove any accumulated dirt and dust, check for defects, service the unit, replace the air filters (if necessary) and address any problems that can eventually become costly repairs or replacements.

6. Seal Crevices and Cracks

Unsealed doors and windows can really impact the temperature in your home. You don’t generally have to be considered “handy” to use a caulking gun to seal the cracks and crevices around the doors and windows in your home. This will prevent the cold air from escaping and keeps the hot air from leaking inside.

7. Close the Drapes on the South and West Sides

Everyone has experienced their cars getting extremely hot when it is parked in direct sunlight, little do people know that the same thing can happen to your home. Due to the sunlight entering through windows and converting to heat once it is trapped inside your home. Make sure to keep your blinds and drapes shut on any window that is facing South or West. As a result, you won’t have to pay to remove any extra heat!

8. Take Advantage of Government and Manufacturers Rebates to Upgrade your Equipment.

Take advantage of government and manufacturers rebates to upgrade your old inefficient equipment to today’s new high efficiency equipment.

Keep Cooling Costs Lower!

With a little bit of effort, you can reduce the cooling costs for any kind of air conditioning system!

For more information contact one of our friendly Home Comfort Advisers.