Quick Tips to Keep Cool
With all of the fun that summer brings, one thing that homeowners hate is the rise in energy bills. The local conditions are a recipe for misery and busted budgets with abundant sun and high humidity. In light of this, homeowners should take every precaution to keep bills low.
By changing some habits and making a few upgrades around the home, homeowners can successfully beat the heat without beating their budget up. Here are a few tips from local HVAC technicians that can make a difference in cooling costs.
Upgrade to a Smart Thermostat
The first step to take for big energy savings on cooling bills over the summer is to upgrade the thermostat. In the past, much energy has been wasted by keeping homes cool when no one is around.
With a new thermostat, homeowners can raise the thermostat during the day when comfort isn’t an issue and lower it automatically for when they get home. The two devices that can accomplish this are:
- Programmable Thermostats: Programmable thermostats are digital devices that allow homeowners to build a schedule with their AC. They allow homeowners to reduce AC usage during the day without sacrificing comfort when they are home on the weekends and evenings.
- Smart Thermostats: Smart thermostats go a step further. Smart thermostats are programmable thermostats that learn a family’s schedule as they do their business. With the benefit of special algorithms, smart thermostats learn a family's schedule and adjust the temperature to maximize savings with no extra work on the owner's part.
Don’t Forget About Weather Stripping
Air leaks are an enemy of home efficiency. Doesn’t it seem like a waste to allow perfectly cooled air into a hot and humid summer? Instead, homeowners should look for places where drafts occur that allow the exchange of inside and outside air. The best places to start looking are:
- Around windows
- Door jambs
- Near baseboards on exterior walls
- Electrical outlets
- Light fixtures
There are special solutions for air leaks in each instance, but one can solve many of them with simple weather stripping. By installing weather stripping where air leaks occur, homeowners can immediately see the summer and winter savings.
Turn the Thermostat Up and Rely on Fans
As most homeowners know, the air conditioner is the single biggest consumer of power during the summer. This is evident by the soaring electrical bills as thermometers are pushed to their limits. The simple answer to saving money during the summer is to reduce the usage of the air conditioner, and the best way to do that is to use it less.
If an air conditioner is the only way a family can stay cool in the summer, how is it helpful to turn it off? Luckily, most homes are equipped with fans that can replace a lot of the cooling power of the AC for far less than running the air conditioner. Raising the thermostat and kicking on fans means people don’t have to sacrifice money for comfort. Make sure fans turn counterclockwise to push their draft down the center of the room.
About Dutch Enterprises
Dutch Enterprises is the local choice for AC maintenance and repair. They offer flat-rate pricing and award-winning service to keep air conditioners up and running during the summer. Call today for fast AC service in Cape Girardeau, MO.
