Your air conditioning has been working overtime to counter the rising temperatures outside, and in turn, is draining your wallet. Here are a few tips on how to save some cash and get the most out of your AC.
Clean out your AC’s vents
This is something almost all of us forget to do, but it is a crucial step in having a fully-functioning air conditioner. By removing all your AC’s vents and cleaning out the air ducts, the airflow of your system is improved exponentially. With better airflow, you won’t feel the need to keep lowering the temperature to make your home cooler. Here is a tutorial on how to clean our your air ducts.
Use door draft stoppers
More air is being released from under your doors than you think. Not only is cold air escaping your room and running into other rooms, but it is leaving your home through the front door. Door draft stoppers start at only $8 and can save you hundreds of dollars by keeping all that cold air inside your home.
Close your doors and windows
Forgetting to close doors to rooms you are not using can make cold air go into places that do not need it. Leaving windows cracked open can let unwanted hot air in as well. Your AC uses more energy, and your bill increases, when you forget to close your doors and windows. Making sure there is no way for the air to escape helps you control your electricity costs (and keep cooler).
Lower your AC when you aren’t home
When you are at work or out at night, the AC does not need to be running at a constant 65 degrees. Make sure you turn your AC down before you go out to save energy when you’re not home. There are even a variety of smart home products on the market, such as Nest’s Learning Thermostat, that allow you to turn down your AC from your smartphone and conserve energy while you’re out and about.
Use a fan instead of your AC
Fans help circulate air throughout your home, and even though they do use energy, the more well-circulated the cold air is, the less you will feel the need to ramp up the AC. Placing a fan next to or near a vent on the floor will help the cold air rise to higher points in the room instead of staying down near the floor.
Saving as much money as you can during the hotter months not only helps your wallet then, but helps in the future as well. Heating is known to cost more than cooling your home, so saving cash in the summer will help when you need it most.
Did you know that the average home’s electricity is responsible for contributing over 8,000 pounds of coal into the atmosphere each year? Reduce your home’s impact in 3 minutes when you sign up for clean energy with Arcadia at no extra cost.
