How to Save Money on Your AC Energy Bill This Summer
It’s the hottest part of the summer and you can’t be blamed for looking for just about any solution to keep cool. The heat can be overwhelming, but so can the energy bill. If you keep blasting your AC the whole summer as many Americans do, you’ll have a huge bill to look at on the other side of the season.
Luckily, there are steps that you can take that can help to relieve you of some of the costs of your AC use. You just need to be smart about your usage.
What can you do to help save money on AC use? Read on and we’ll walk you through everything that you need to know.
Install an Automatic Thermostat
Does your AC stay running even when you’re away from home, blowing cool air out for no one? Taking steps to conserve energy when you’re actually away from the home can be a huge help when it comes to cutting costs on your energy bill.
The best investment you can make towards this goal is installing an automatic thermostat. This is a thermostat that can monitor the current temperature in your home and turn on the AC (or turn it off!) to keep your intended temperature more or less constant.
Even more important is that you can set it so that the temperature can be higher when you’re away from home and cooler when you’re actually there. If you’re not spending much energy keeping things cool in the middle of the day, you can save a large deal of money.
It might be little savings at first, but these little savings can quickly snowball into something much greater.
These kinds of thermostats can be a huge help to your home, but you’ll need to make sure you install them in a smart place in your home as well. Choose the location with care.
It’s a good idea to make sure you install the thermostat a decent distance away from televisions and other technology that tend to produce heat. These devices can mess with your thermostat and convince it things are actually hotter than they are.
That could result in excessive cooling and an increase in energy use— the exact opposite of your intended result. Install it away from these potential dangers for better results.
Rely on Alternative Cooling Options
Your AC isn’t the only way to stay cool during the summer months. There are plenty of other things you can do to keep your house cool and save money in the process.
For one: if you have ceiling fans, use them. If you don’t have one, it could be a worthy idea to invest one, especially if you plan to stay in the home you’re in for a long period of time. An energy-efficient fan can help to decrease the use of your home’s AC system and help you remain cool in the process.
You can also rely on natural cooling. Instead of running your AC through the night, open the windows around your home and allow the cooler night air to flow in.
When you wake up in the morning, you can shut all the windows and trap this cool air inside your home. This will help to prevent things from heating up for at least some time.
Once the day has gone and the sun is beating down, consider closing the blinds around your home. Blocking the sun out will prevent a good deal of heat from getting in, helping to keep things cooler for longer.
Assisting Your Air Conditioner
Your home might be of a decent size, creating a lot of work for your AC unit. All of that work is going to end up costing you money. If you can determine ways to assist in getting the job done, your wallet will thank you later.
Investing in an attic ventilator is one way to help take a load off your air conditioner. As you’re likely aware, your attic can get incredibly hot during the summer months. An attic ventilator can help to exhaust all that hot and humid air from your attic and bring in cooler air from outside in the process.
The circulation of air in this portion of your home can help to reduce the overall heat load that your AC system has to work against. In the long run, installing this kind of ventilator can help to save you money and make you much more comfortable.
You might also want to consider adding additional air runs to your system. Older systems frequently have design flaws that make them poorly equipped for cooling purposes. Adding additional returns to a system will allow for a much greater supply of air into the home.
Other benefits might also include increased airflow and a need for fewer repairs down the line. The better equipped you can make your AC unit, the more efficient it’ll be able to run for the years to come.
Saving Money on Your Energy Bill
The summer months can be a lot of fun, but they can bring a few things the average homeowner dreads – a high energy bill is prime among them. However, there are many things homeowners can do to help rectify the situation and save some cash. The above are just a few helpful starting points.
Need more help with your home system or need assistance getting that energy bill lowered? Give us a call anytime for assistance. We’ll be able to help you with any questions you might have.
