Run your Air Conditioner efficiently and save!

Save money while still feeling cool. Photo courtesy: http://redcrossdallas.blogspot.com

High temperatures come with a high energy bill as we try to keep cool by putting our AC to work.  Running these units efficiently can actually reduce the bite on the wallet.  Here are a few tips that will save you money.

 

Keep the heat out

Natural light can help reduce your lighting costs, however when no one is in a room it is best to keep the curtains closed during the day. This is especially true for houses with windows on the eastern and western sides. Keeping the sun’s direct rays from entering the house helps reduce the amount of effort your air conditioner puts forth to keep the house cool. To maximize this, open the curtains in the evening to allow heat to escape through the windows of your house.

 

Rearrange Your Furniture

Furniture that obstructs air conditioning vents means you could be cooling the back of a chair or the bottom side of your sofa and although it might appreciate the thought, we’re pretty sure you’d rather have that chill instead. Although they make plastic pieces for your vents to help force air in the right direction, the easiest way is to just rearrange things for a while.

 

Are you cooling an empty house?

Lower your air conditioner’s thermostat setting to 78 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re at home. But let that number rise to a warmer temperature at night or when you’re away from home. You can save 5 percent to 15 percent on your air-conditioning bills by raising the temperature setting on your thermostat when you’re away and don’t need cooling.  You may even be cooling outside your home.  Check to see if spaces below doors or windows are allowing the cold air to escape, and these should be sealed immediately.

 

Your AC also needs a check-up

Some basic maintenance might be all your air conditioner needs, but most will greatly benefit from a good hosing out, especially if you’re plagued with pesky trees like Cottonwoods that drop seeds which stick to the filters and make the unit work 15% harder!

 

Get Rid of Hot Air

Use an exhaust fan when cooking to help expel hot air from the house. If you don’t have an exhaust fan, cool the room by setting up a floor fan in the kitchen while cooking. The fan not only cools the air, but can also help move it out of the kitchen.

 

Get the AC some help

The energy used by a fan is far less than that of the air conditioner.  In some climates, you can turn the air conditioner off at night and just let ceiling or floor fans provide cool air for your comfort. Using the fans at night may allow you to set the air conditioner above 78 degrees saving a great deal of energy. Fans can also help move cool air around the house to ease the work load of the air conditioner.  Sometimes you are hot from physical activity in which case using a fan is a much cheaper way of cooling you down than engaging the AC unit in an entire room.