In the summer, we love spending time on the beach and soaking in the sun. However, when we’re not anywhere near any swimming spot, the only thing most of us would love to do is stay indoors because of the intense summer heat. Summers are getting hotter, and more and more people buy new AC unit online because it can be too hot to buy one in an actual store.
Of course, running the AC all summer long means huge utility bills. Thankfully, we don’t have to give up air conditioning in the summer, because there are ways that we can save money on our summer air conditioning cost. Here are six of them.
1. Keep the thermostat at 78 degrees
We know you’d want nothing more than to set your thermostat at 70 degrees or even lower to feel as cool as possible when it’s scorching hot outside. However, such temperatures only lead to doubling your energy costs. For you and your family to feel comfortable, 78 degrees should do it.
2. Keep the sun out
Direct sunlight is particularly intense. Hours of exposure to those rays can make your house hotter and force your AC unit work even harder just to maintain the cool temperature indoors. A hardworking AC also translates to higher energy costs, so you must do whatever you can to mitigate the impact of direct sunlight on your home.
To give your home more shade, you can plant trees and shrubs, particularly on the eastern and western parts of your home. You can also keep sunlight out by putting up drapes, curtains, or Venetian blinds.
3. Clean or replace your AC air filter regularly
The air filter of your air conditioning unit should always be clean. If it’s dirty, then the airflow to your AC unit will be restricted at best. You wouldn’t want that to happen since lack of airflow means your unit will have to work harder to compensate, which always leads to astronomical energy bills. Always check your AC air filter regularly, and take the appropriate action.
4. Give your AC a break
Summers are typically hot, but there are actually summer days that are cooler than usual. If you ever chance upon such a day when you’re at home, how about giving your air conditioning unit a break and use fans instead?
5. Use ceiling fan with the AC
If you have a ceiling fan, have it run simultaneously with the air conditioner, the thermostat of which should be set at 80 or 81 degrees this time. By doing this, you can lower your AC costs in the summer by 15% to 25%.
