4 Easy Tips to Lower Summer Air Conditioning Bills
In the heat of the summer, your electric bill can be higher than your fuel bills for the winter were. While it is easy to put on a sweater or grab an extra blanket to stay warm, you can only take off so much in an attempt to remain comfortable. There are, however, ways to keep your air condition bills from getting too high.
Have Your System Serviced
Many people feel it is a waste of money to have the serviceman come out, and check over and clean the system when it was running just fine when you shut it off last fall. The thing is, if you do not have it done, your unit will have to work harder to keep you cool. Dirt and debris that has become lodged in the system can slow down fans, clog vents and even damage parts. The technician will clean everything and make sure that all the parts are in good repair before you turn it on for the summer. This alone will lower your cooling bills.
Shut Vents in Unoccupied, Unused Rooms
If there are rooms in your home that are not used much, close off the vents in them and save from cooling them. When you know you are going to be using the room, open the vents in advance so they can get cool before people are in there.
Have an Automatic Thermostat
You do not always need to have the thermostat set to the same temperature. You can turn it up a bit when everyone is going to be in bed or if no one is going to be home during the day. Get a thermostat that you can set to change the temperature at different times of the day so you do not forget to do so. Why spend money to cool down a house when no one is there for eight hours out of the day or when everyone is cuddled under blankets at night?
Use Fans to Help Circulate the Air
If you have large rooms or areas that do not have a vent, use fans to push the air into the warmer areas instead of turning the temperature down in an attempt to get everywhere cool. It is also a good idea to have ceiling fans installed to keep the coo air pushed down where everyone is. Circulating the cool air is often enough to allow you to turn the temperature up a few degrees.
Your cooling bill is directly dependent on how much time and effort you put in to lowering it. If you turn on your AC and set the thermostat to a low temperature and that is all you do all summer long, count on having high bills. If, on the other hand, you take the time to do a bit of dusting, change the filters and adjust the thermostat as needed, you will find that cooling your home is not as expensive as you thought it was going to be.
Author bio:
Liam Reed is a freelance writer who writes on behalf of EsmithAir. His valuable money saving tips and tricks help readers to manage their regular expenses effectively.
Category: Saving Energy, Saving Money
The rather humid area of the country where I live makes me too quick to run up the AC bill sometimes, so I’m always looking for tips like these!