Beat The Heat: Energy Saving Air Conditioning Tips
Summer is rapidly approaching and people are already beginning to turn their air conditioning thermostats down. As energy becomes more and more expensive, many homeowners are investing in expensive energy efficient systems. But before you shell out big bucks for an entirely new system, check out some of our home cooling tips.
These tips will not only keep your home cool, they will also help you lower your energy bills without having to give up too much comfort. So don't reset your thermostat just yet. As a matter of fact you should probably turn it up a few degrees.
This first tip will help you greatly reduce your energy bill, and you won't have to sacrifice your comfort entirely. When it starts to get hot many of us immediately turn our AC's down drastically. This is not necessary. The trick is to have the thermostat set as high as you can tolerate. You want to set it to a temperature that is as high as you can stand while still remaining comfortable. If you have your thermostat set below 78 degrees this is especially true. Every degree you raise your thermostat will save you 3 percent in cooling costs.
In desert cities like Phoenix this can be particularly difficult. So to counteract having your thermostat turned up, our second tip is to invest in ceiling fans if you do not have them already. They will also save you an incredible amount of money because they use a fraction of the energy that air conditioning units do. They use about one-tenth of the energy to be exact, and that is a big difference. You will also take advantage of the added circulation. Ceiling fans help cool you down because they move the air. When moving air meets moisture (like the sweat on your skin) it has a cooling affect that can make you feel 8 to 10 degrees cooler.
The last tip is to embark on a small home improvement project. Adding awnings (and even sun screens) to your home can reduce the temperature by up to 20 percent. They protect your windows from direct sunlight which greatly helps reduce heat.
A few other cooling tips include planting trees around your home to keep it shaded, having your contractor seal cracks and insulate leaky ducts in your home, and--if possible--place your air conditioning unit in a cool or shaded area. If your AC unit is in direct sunlight it has to use more energy to keep your home cool.
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