Every summer you go back through the rituals. You have to beat the heat, but energy prices go up in the summer and staying comfortable can get pricey. Thankfully, there are plenty of simple ways to stay cool without running the AC longer and harder
Maximize Shade
Homes, apartments and the like come in such a huge variety of shapes, sizes and designs that you have to get a little creative, but a few examples can help you get the idea. First, additional blinds or curtains on the windows can help reduce heating. This is especially important for windows that face East or West.
Of course, you can take the shade concept much farther. When possible, awnings, bamboo shades and other outdoor sun blocks can keep the walls from receiving so much heat. This is especially effective for walls that have a lot of stone, like brick.
Shade trees around the house are another way to do this, but you may want to consider less permanent options if you use direct light to supplement heating in the winter. Pretty much any way you can reduce direct sunlight to the home will lower the amount of work your AC needs to do by up to 15 degrees.
If all of these other shading options aren’t viable, the single most important piece of shading you can do is over the AC unit itself. If the air going in is a few degrees cooler, then the device has that much less work to do, easily lowering your power bills throughout the summer.
Improve Efficiency
There are a number of tricks that can help your cooling system work just a little better, saving you big dollars in the long run. First off, assuming you use air conditioning, seal the home and ducts as much as possible. Checking the ducts for leaks, especially in uninsulated parts of the house like a basement, crawlspace or attic, will help reduce losses.
You can make your windows more efficient by making sure they seal correctly, and by considering additional insulation. Argon or Krypton infills can be added to most windows, greatly reducing their heat exchange. The infills help you retain heat in the winter too. Windows can also help by being open when temperatures drop.
This technique is much more weather dependent, but if you live where the night air cools below 77 degrees, opening windows and pairing them with fans can let you vent the hot air that builds up over the day.
Finally, window AC units can let you be more efficient by only cooling the room in use. You can turn off the larger unit if you won’t be using all of your space for a while.
The other major efficiency improvements come from servicing your AC units. Newer units can usually last a season between services, but older units may benefit from new parts.
In many cases, a new compressor will save you more money over the course of the summer than it costs to replace. Also, you can supplement your units with ceiling and floor fans. This lets you set the thermostat a little higher without sacrificing comfort, and the fans use a lot less power.
Practice Good Habits
Of course, the absolute easiest way to lower your cooling bill is to use cooling devices less. Almost any thermostat can be upgraded to a modern, schedulable model. This lets you adjust the temperature according to your needs, making it easier to run everything optimally.
Beyond that, remember that an empty house doesn’t need to be cooled. You might be tempted to leave the temperature down so you can walk into a brisk room, but a good air conditioner can cool even large rooms in a matter of minutes.
Other good habits are to reduce how much you use major appliances during the hottest parts of the day. Washers, dryers and dishwashers all generate a lot of heat when they run. If you aim to use them at night, your AC won’t have to work as hard to keep you comfortable.
Also, using the oven and stove less will go a long way. How do you do that? Crank up the grill! It may be hot while you cook, but that heat stays outside so you can retreat to your efficiently cooled home.
Regards,
Ethan Warrick
Editor
Wealth Authority
