For those of you who have already received whopping electricity bills this summer, thanks to the merciless mercury levels on the thermostat, we have four strategies to help you save on summertime cooling costs.
All in Favor of Fans
Sure, it might seem obvious, but a few well-placed stand up, desk, or — better yet — ceiling fans work wonders to circulate air throughout your house as well as keep down your summer electric bill. Combining forces between fans and your AC unit helps regulate temperature without pushing your AC unit, or those bills, to the max.
Get with the Program
Speaking of pushing your AC to the max, avoid unnecessary expenditures by programming your unit depending on your schedule. When you’re home, of course, be comfortable and as cool as you wish. However, for those times when you’re at work, or when the temperature naturally drops at night after the sun goes down, program the unit to slightly higher temperatures in order to mitigate overall costs in the long run. It’s amazing how much money you can save by altering your heating or cooling just a few degrees.
Make Maintenance a Priority
We cannot stress this enough. Simply owning an AC system is one thing: maintaining it is imperative for optimal functionality and effectiveness. Think of your AC system as you do your car. Avoiding oil changes, for example, will catch up with you down the road, resulting in lackluster performance and a costly repair that could have been avoided. Schedule routine maintenance of your home’s AC system in order to stay as cool as possible, for a fraction of the cost.
Work with Your Window Treatments
We’re not suggesting that you escape the heat by entering hermit mode or making your house look uninhabited. However, working with your window treatments is a wise way to keep in the cooler air and keep out the heat. So, zip the blinds shut, draw the shades, whatever you can do to stretch the shade inside your home will boost the benefits of your AC system.
