6 Best Ways to Save Energy and Money on Your Air Conditioner During the Summer
Summertime has a lot of exciting and fun activities. It includes pool parties, baseball games, backyard cookouts, and more. However, one thing that’s not so good about this season is the scorching heat. With that, it can be tempting to stay at home during the hot summer days.
Running your air conditioning system can account for a significant cost during the summer. Nearly half of your average electric bill is spent on cooling your space. It’s also one of the biggest energy consumers in your home. It uses about 3,500 watts or 3.5 kilowatt-hours for every hour of running the system.
Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to help your air conditioner run better and save money during the summer months. To get more idea, here are six cost-effective ways to save energy and money on your air conditioner during this season.
Use a Smart Thermostat
Upgrading into a smart thermostat is an excellent way to reduce your heating and cooling costs during the summer. This high-quality device can help regulate your cooling system from time to time and save money. You may also adjust its settings automatically using an app on your mobile device.
Utilizing a smart thermostat will help increase your home’s temperature when you’re asleep or out of your house. With the help of this tool, you can set your AC unit at a high temperature as possible and make your space more comfortable. Hence, you can reduce your cooling bill by about 10 percent.
The smart thermostat allows you to turn on or off your AC unit automatically. It can also help automatically keep the temperature on your house at a steady level during the day and at night. Just like a reliable electric company like Astral Energy, using this tool will also help you save up to 10 percent of your annual cooling and heating costs.
Use a Ceiling Fan
The use of a ceiling fan is a cost-effective way to make your space feel up to 10 degrees cooler. It uses only about 10 percent of energy than running a central air conditioning unit. It also allows you to raise your smart thermostat setting up to 4 degrees Celcius without reducing comfort.
A ceiling fan can help effectively circulate the air in your room and help create a draft throughout the area. It can also make your space more comfortable via its wind-chill effect. However, you also need to turn off the fan when you’re not using it, which helps promote global energy conservation initiatives.
Apart from that, you can also install a high-tech smart ceiling fan that can connect into an app. It allows you to automatically turn on and off your fan as well as controlling its speed remotely. It also has built-in radios and sensors that can help regulate the temperature in your room more efficiently.
Insulate and Seal Your Doors and Windows
Adding insulation to your home is a great way to reduce the heat that can pass through your walls. It can help keep your space cool during the summer and warm during the winter. Insulating your attic can also help prevent the sun from heating your room into oven-like temperatures.
Insulating your attic will help keep the stored heat from spreading throughout your house. Doing so can help you save up to 40 percent of your cooling bill. You can install blown-in cellulose insulation for your attic. It’s the most practical and cost-effective option to save energy on your cooling and heating costs.
Sealing your doors and windows is also a great way to help keep your house cool during the summer. It’s essential to seal the gaps around your windows and doors to avoid air from escaping, which is one of the causes of energy loss. You can utilize caulk or weatherstripping to help lower your energy use by about 10 percent.
Shade Your Windows
The direct sunlight can heat your house by entering through your windows. It may increase the temperature in your room by up to 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It may also cause your AC system to work harder to cool your space. Thus, incorporating window treatments such as shutters, roll-up shades, and curtains can help reduce solar heat gain.
You can close your blinds or curtains on the windows that face toward the direct sunlight. You may do it throughout your house if you’re out during the day. If you’re at home, you may close your curtains on windows that face in the east in the morning. You can open them in the afternoon, and close the ones that are facing in the west.
Avoid Heat Buildup During the Day
The heat in the summer can increase the temperature inside your home. With that in mind, you need to avoid activities that can generate a lot of heat, especially during the day. It includes using the dishwasher or clothes dryer and cooking on the stovetop.
Instead, you can microwave your food or grill it on the outside, hang your clothes on a clothesline, and wash your dishes by hand and let them air-dry. You may also try to do them during the night when temperatures had dropped. The use of a bathroom exhaust fan will also help remove excess heat and humidity when you bathe during the day.
Maintain Your Cooling System
Sometimes, it’s not enough to install a programmable thermostat and use an energy efficient AC unit. If you don’t properly care for your appliance, then you won’t reduce energy costs from your cooling bills. Dirty air conditioning filters may block airflow, which makes it work harder to cool your home during the summer.
Regularly cleaning your AC system and replacing its filters once a month can help lower its energy consumption by about 5 to 15 percent. For your central cooling system, make sure that your floor isn’t blocked with dust or furniture. Its evaporator and condenser coils must also be clear of debris and dirt to help keep them work at their highest efficiency level.
Takeaway
Running your air conditioner in the summer can significantly increase your electricity bill. But there are a few ways to save on energy and money on your cooling costs. You can do the cost-effective ways listed above to help your air conditioner run better while saving energy as the summer months progress.
