Keeping your home cool shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. Follow a few smart tips to lower air conditioning energy expenditure and improve efficiency during hot summer months. If you’re willing to think creatively and want to hand some maintenance work over to licensed professionals you can save a small fortune over a period of years.
Use these 5 tips to save on energy bills during summer months.
Less Lighting
Turn off lights to lower the temperature inside your home. Unless you absolutely need lighting keep things dark to minimize heat and to improve energy bill savings. Use fluorescent lighting to keep cool and to boost energy efficiency.
Use Fans
Circulate air around your home by using a combination of ceiling and floor fans. Promote cooling inside of your home and spend less on energy bills through the use of fans. Consider using oscillating floor fans to improve air movement and to increase cooling.
Don’t break the bank to buy the latest and great fan with all bells and whistles imaginable. Invest in a few inexpensive fans to cool off and to place less of a taxing load on your air conditioning unit.
Aim for a Comfortable Temperature
Consider keeping your room temperature between 75 to 78 degrees to save on energy bills. Make being comfortable the ultimate goal. You don’t need a chilly room. Bump up the temperature by a few degrees when you’re asleep or not at home. You can save a small fortune by raising temperatures to less chilly but comfortable levels.
Maintenance
Remove leaves, grass clippings, dirt and other forms of debris from the coils on the outside of your air conditioner. Keeping the area clean improves energy efficiency. Set aside time to clean the exterior of your unit both before warmer months and during times of high usage to lower your cooling bills.
Change or at least clean your air conditioning filter each month. This tiny investment in money and energy improves efficiency and saves you money.
Hire an air conditioning repair company to perform annual maintenance on your unit. Even if you know a few tips and tricks to boost efficiency let the pros work their magic on your unit. You don’t want to toy around with your air conditioner unless you’re a licensed, skilled and experienced repair person.
Pros have year’s worth of experience dealing with every type of air conditioning problem imaginable. Hiring a qualified maintenance specialist helps to keep your unit running smoothly during brutally warm summers. Research companies online and speak to friends for referrals.
Go with Efficiency
Buy an energy efficient air conditioner to save money. Shop around. Ditch your old air conditioner to find an energy efficient model. By purchasing a new, energy saving air conditioner you are helping the environment and padding your bottom line over the long haul. Monthly savings add up over the course of even a few years. Every few dollars you don’t spend on cooling costs can increase your savings dramatically over 5 or 10 years.