Most of your home’s summer energy costs are from cooling your home. Here are a few simple things you can do to cut your electric bill, keep you cool and your money in your pocket this summer.
1. Thermostat: Don’t set the thermostat any lower than 78 degrees when you’re at home. You may be surprised to find that it is low enough to keep you cool. Each degree you offset your thermostat reduces your air conditioning expense by 3% to 4%.
2. Keep the windows closed: Our service technicians often spot open windows and screened doors while the air conditioning is on. Many people like to sleep with windows open during cool evenings, but forget to close the windows when they turn on the a/c during daytime. Or they fail to close them tightly. You can understand how this wastes money, that would be a massive waste of energy.
3. Lights: Shut off lights when no one’s in a room. Only 5% to 10% of the electricity used in an incandescent light bulb is for light. The rest is waste heat. Consider motion detector light switches, which will automatically shut off when no one’s been in the room for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Fans: Use your ceiling fans to generate air movement, allowing you to set your thermostat a degree or two higher, while still feeling cool and comfortable.
5. Grill: As much as possible, cook with your microwave oven and outdoor grill. Avoid adding heat to your house. When you do cook inside, use the kitchen range hood to exhaust the heat to the outside.
6. Bathroom Fans: Run your bathroom fans during baths and showers to exhaust heat and moisture.
7. Attic: Attic temperatures can easily reach 130°F in the Summer. Install power vents or attic fans to lower attic temperatures. Add extra insulation in your attic.
8. A/C Filters: Replace or clean the filters of your air conditioner monthly. In the Summer, your air conditioner gets a workout and the filters get dirty faster. Dirty filters restrict air flow, reducing efficiency and jacking up energy bills. Longer term, dirty filters contribute to equipment breakdown. Most filters are inexpensive and this is something most home owners are capable of doing themselves.
9. Blinds & Drapes: Close blinds and draperies on Southern and Western exposures to reduce solar heat gain. This can save 10-20% of the cost of cooling on a hot summer day. Consider adding solar screen. Windows waste the most energy in your home. Solar screens or sun control film can reduce the heat from the sun in your home up to 75 percent.
10. A/C Tune Up: It’s not too late to get your air conditioner tuned up. Utility research shows that annual tune-ups pay for themselves in just a couple of Summer months through utility savings. Plus, a tune-up can restore lost system capacity (i.e., better cooling).
11. Infiltration: Use an incense stick to check for drafts and air leaks around windows, doors, recessed lighting fixtures, and attic hatches. Replace weather stripping when leaks are found. Add outlet gaskets to outlets located on exterior walls.
12. Wash at Night: Wash dishes and laundry in the early morning or at night when your air conditioner has excess cooling capacity.
13. Electronics: Turn off electronics (i.e., computers, printers, monitors, stereos, television sets) when not in use. They are heat generators.
14. Ducts: Have your ducts inspected. Duct leakage could account for 25% to 30% of your air conditioning costs and also result in lost cooling capacity.
15. Air Conditioner: Cut your cooling bills in half and increase your comfort with a new high efficiency air conditioner or heat pump.
Source: www.serviceroundtable.com
