Keep Your Cool Without Freezing Your Bank Account: How to Save Money on A/C Costs in the Summer...
Summers are not known for being very forgiving in the Southeast. When temperatures start reaching into the 90s and higher, it gets harder to stay cool. If you don’t want to spend your entire paycheck on running your air conditioner constantly, try these tips and tricks.
Check Your Thermostat
The fewer degrees difference between inside your home and outside, the more efficient your AC unit will be. Of course, the whole point of an air conditioner is to make it cooler inside and be a respite from the heat and humidity. Set your thermostat at a temp that’s comfortable for you, but not more than 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher than this, and it’s not very efficient.
Another great thermostat trick is to turn it up a few degrees when you’re not at home. If your family is outside the house for a majority of the day, increase the temperature two to four degrees when you leave. When you arrive home, lower it to a comfortable temperature again. A programmable thermostat makes this easy so you can set it once and not have to worry about it again.
Monitor Your AC Unit
The best way to ensure your air conditioning unit is always functioning as it should is to schedule routine maintenance twice per year: once in late spring/early summer and again in the late fall.
There are a few DIY tips you can use to keep your unit running efficiently. During summer, the consistent cycling can clog up the air filters and exterior fan much faster. Replace your filters once a month, and use a long-handled brush to clear out the fan.
If your thermostat is in a popular area, rearrange the room to move TVs, lamps, computers, or other heat-emitting products away from the thermostat. When these items get used, they warm up. This rise in temperature can cause the thermostat to think the entire house is warming up and kick on the AC more than is necessary.
Adjust Your Home
Other than your thermostat and AC unit, there are a few things you can do around your home to keep it cooler, naturally.
Especially for windows that get direct sunlight in the afternoon, hang up light-blocking curtains. Since these keep the sun’s light out, they also keep the sun’s heat from entering your home and turning up the temperature.
Using fans is a great way to cool off and avoid using the air conditioner. Whether it’s the ceiling fans or a box fan, you’ll greatly benefit. However, these fans are designed to cool people, not rooms, so be sure to turn them off when you’re done in that room to save electricity.
Try changing out your lightbulbs to ones that run at cooler temperatures. Also be sure to turn off the lights when you’re done using them to avoid heating up the room when you don’t need it and using too much electricity.
Seal any cracks around doors or windows that may be causing the warm air to enter your home.
Avoid using the oven to cook dinner and try grilling outside or make crockpot meals, instead.
Tried All This and Still Spending Too Much on AC?
Professional maintenance might be required if your air conditioning is still costing you too much. Call AComfort at 678-435-9801 to schedule a visit from one of our technicians. We’ll come over to check on your system and see how we can make it work more efficiently for you.
Comments