As a homeowner, you know firsthand how expensive it can be to keep cool during the summer. Then you start to accept the fact that you just have to pay extra. You have to stop the way you think.
I’m going to show you ways on how to save money on air conditioning bills, without sacrificing comfort. By following the tips below, it will help reduce your cooling costs all year round.
9 Ways To Cut Costs On Air Conditioning
1. Install a Smart or Programmable Thermostat
One of the best ways to save money on power costs is by installing a programmable or Wi-Fi thermostat in your home.
This simple upgrade will pay for itself in about a year and only takes about one hour to install.
If you have a smartphone or other mobile device, a Wi-Fi thermostat gives even more control over your air conditioner.
Here’s what you can do when the air conditioner is connected to a smart thermostat:
- controls your central heating and cooling system
- set up all sorts of schedules (specify the desired hours only)
- track temperature changes throughout the day
- get weather alerts
- make adjustments on temperature settings even when you’re away
- turn ON/OFF the heating and cooling system using a mobile device
- tracks the energy usage all day and night
- self-adjusts the room temperature while you’re away
- records and generates a report of the peak hours
- a notification will be sent if you exceeded the usual energy usage for the month
To find out more about this cool product and how to get the least expensive (but the best) one for your home, take a look at my review of the cheapest smart thermostat here. It will save you money in the long run and make your home much efficient in saving energy.
Pro Tip: According to energy experts, it is recommended to turn your AC at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. 78 degrees is the right temperature you need for optimum energy-saving and an acceptable cooling temperature in a room. [1]
2. Replace Your Air Filters
Some of us forget to replace the filter of our air conditioners regularly. So make sure not to skip out on this. You need to check up on this at least once a month.
Dirty AC filters make the unit work harder, causes air conditioner failures and high energy and cooling costs. Their job is to trap dust and particles from making their way into the AC system.
Therefore, they get clogged easily and must be replaced every few months. If you don’t replace your air filters, the AC unit has to work harder to produce cool air in the room.
As a result, this increases your electric consumption. If you regularly change the filter of your AC, there will be less maintenance and repairs as well.
3. Block out the Sun
If you really want to lower your cooling usage this summer, make sure to cover and close the window if it’s a sunny day outdoors. Do this in every window of every room in your house if possible.
The right kind of window cover to use is called “blackout curtains or blinds” installed on your window because they block the most amount of the sun rays.
Insulated curtains or blinds like these on your window could cool the temperature in your home at 10 to 20 degrees range.
When you close and cover your window, you avoid the urge to turn on your air conditioner at all.
4. Use Circulating Fans
A running ceiling fan or stand-alone circulating fan could make your home feel around 5 degrees cooler. This means you can raise your thermostat setting up about the same amount without feeling any discomfort and still feeling cool.
The higher your thermostat setting, the less energy you’ll consume, and the more money you’ll save on cooling down your home.
5. Run Exhaust Fans
When your home feels hot, it’s because the temperature of the air inside is on the rise. An unconventional trick you can use to lower the heat is by turning on your exhaust fan.
The work of an exhaust fan is to remove moisture or humid air inside the house by pulling it outdoors. This results in making the house feel cool. These vents are also great for sucking out the hot air too.
While you’re at it make sure that your exhaust fan is not blocked by any furniture. Any drape or furniture covering the exhaust can affect how much it can blow the humid air outdoor.
If you let the fan work for a while on the hottest days of the summer, they can help cool the temperature indoors.
6. Install Weatherstripping
When people think about installing weatherstripping on the windows and doors of their home, they do it mainly to keep heat in during the winter.
That’s because having any air leaks around your house causes warm air to flow out and cold air to come in. However, weatherstripping is also a cheap way to reduce your air conditioner usage too.
The tighter your home is sealed, the more cold air from your AC will stay indoors, instead of leaking outside. So, if you haven’t installed weatherstripping around your doors and windows yet, now is the time to do it.
7. Check Your Air Conditioning Unit’s Efficiency
If you follow the tips on this page but still have high cooling bills, there might be a problem with your AC system. If it does not work up to its highest potential, it will work harder and will cost you more.
To figure out what’s going on, you should check if it is efficient. If there’s an issue, then it would be wise to call a professional.
8. Change to LED Light Bulbs
One tip to cut down energy costs is to swap out any existing incandescent lights with new LED bulbs.
This may sound too simple to be accurate, but here’s the thing, 90% of the electricity used by incandescent bulbs is converted to heat. Only 10% is used for light.
This means when you turn on one of these bulbs, you’re slowly warming up the house, regardless of what time of the day it is. That much extra heat means your cooling expenses will be higher.
Using new LED bulbs that use very little energy and give off only a small amount of heat is more practical.
9. Use a Dehumidifier
A good trick to try that’s less expensive than running the AC is by using a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier sucks the moisture out of the air and essentially cools it down for you.
Dehumidifiers are a good investment for anyone looking to lower their energy usage and air conditioning bill. I have a free guide to help you find the best mini dehumidifier here.
It shows you what the five best (and cheapest) products you might want to buy for your home.
Bottom Line:
Now that you have a few money-saving tricks under your belt, you should see a decrease in your energy usage and air conditioning cost.
Even doing just one of the things listed on this page can help lower your monthly electric costs during the summer. And that means more money in your pocket and more savings in the bank.
Reference:
[1] https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/green-tech/a28751830/best-air-conditioner-temperature-debate/
