Ensuring your home is consistently cool during the summer is important for everyone’s health and comfort. The only concern is that running your air conditioning constantly often comes at a steep cost. The good news is that it doesn’t always have to, as there are some steps you can take to keep your summer energy bills from skyrocketing without needing to sacrifice your comfort.
Optimize Your Thermostat Settings
Your thermostat settings have a huge impact on the amount of work your air conditioning system has to do each day and how much energy it uses. One thing you should always make sure to do is program your climate control device so that it automatically switches to a different temperature when no one is home and when everyone is asleep.
During the times when you’re home, it’s best to keep the thermostat set to somewhere around 74-78 degrees and then set it a few degrees higher during the day and at night. However, it’s important that you don’t set the temperature too high during the day. If you do, your AC may have difficulties cooling your house back down to your preferred temperature later in the day and could have to run so long in the afternoon and evening that it uses more energy overall.
Switch to a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are much better at improving efficiency and reducing cooling costs than normal programmable thermostats. Studies show that, on average, most homes will achieve around a 12% reduction in their air conditioning bills. The main reason is that most smart thermostats can learn your family’s habits and make automatic adjustments to the temperature settings to ensure optimum AC efficiency. You can also use the thermostat app to adjust the temperature, which helps save energy in situations such as if everyone will be home later than usual.
Use Fans to Keep Cool
Ceiling fans are great for creating a breeze that helps keep you cooler. This cooling effect means you’ll be able to set your thermostat a bit higher without ever feeling too hot. Nonetheless, it’s important to understand that the fans only cool people and don’t decrease the room temperature. That means you want to make sure you turn the fans off when leaving the room so that they don’t waste energy.
Reduce Solar Heat Gain
Solar heat gain can be one of the biggest contributors to high cooling costs. Drawing the shades or closing the blinds on windows that get direct sunlight helps your house stay cooler and reduces how much your AC has to run. Trees and awnings also provide a good source of shade and help to reduce heat gain.
Insulate and Seal Air Leaks
Leaky windows and doors or gaps in the exterior structure of a home are also big contributors to heat gain, as they allow hot air to constantly flow inside. Sealing up any leaks and making sure your exterior walls and attic are sufficiently insulated can save you a significant amount on your cooling bills. In fact, the EPA estimates that taking these steps will often reduce your cooling (and heating) costs by 25-30%.
Install Additional Ventilation in Your Attic
Attic and roof ventilation make a major difference in how hot a house gets during the afternoon and evening. Without sufficient ventilation, an attic will often get to where it’s 40-60 degrees hotter than it is outside. The heat in the attic then results in the entire house getting much hotter. Adding solar-powered attic fans or additional vents helps the heat to escape so that both the attic and the rest of your house stay cooler.
Minimize Heat Generation
Certain activities like running your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer and using your stove and oven also contribute to an increase in temperature. Trying to avoid doing laundry and dishes during the day is helpful for reducing the amount of work your AC has to do. Grilling outside and using the microwave instead of the stove or oven is similarly helpful.
Maintain Your AC System
Maintaining your AC system is hugely important for ensuring it can cool quickly and effectively and continues running at peak efficiency. Just making sure to change the AC air filter regularly can keep your cooling costs around 15% lower. Scheduling professional maintenance at the beginning of each summer can make an even bigger difference in how well your AC works and how much it costs to run. It can also help you avoid breakdowns and repairs over the summer. We offer a service agreement that helps you better maintain your system while saving money!
Get Help From the Pros With Saving on Energy Costs
If you are looking for help lowering your cooling costs this summer? Our experienced team can provide real results by maintaining, repairing, or upgrading your cooling system. For the best home comfort solutions in Easton, PA, contact Comfort Solutions HVAC.
