We all love a nice, air-conditioned home on the hottest days of summer, but no one looks forward to the bill for it.
Here are a few ways to stay cool without shelling out the big bucks!
Tactic 1: Minimize Heat Sources
Close your blinds and eliminate direct sunlight coming in and heating up a room.
Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your room air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat will sense heat from these appliances and run more than necessary.
Avoid using the oven on hot days, as your air conditioning will have to go into overdrive to counteract all the heat produced. Cook on the stove or grill outside.
Skip the dryer and all the heat it produces by hanging clothes to dry
Tactic 2: Lower Your Energy Usage
Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you first turn it on. It will not cool your home any faster, but it will work harder than necessary.
Choose fans over air conditioning as they use significantly less energy. However, turn off fans when you leave the room. Fans cool people by creating a wind chill effect on the skin but have no effect on the temperature of a room.
The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be. Having the temperature set 5 degrees higher for 8 hours a day can reduce your energy bill by 10%
Unplug electrical items you aren’t using constantly – like game consoles or anything with an LED indicator light or digital clock – as they use power and often generate heat
Tactic 3: Switch to an Evaporative Air Cooler
Evaporative air coolers (or swamp coolers as they are sometimes called) lower the temperature by moving hot air across water. As a fan blows the air across a water reservoir, the air picks up small water particles which evaporate as they are blown away. The evaporating water cools the air nearby the same way drying sweat cools people down.
Here’s what else you need to know:
Units are portable and can be placed anywhere in your home or moved from room to room as needed
They are great for dry climates, but not useful in particularly humid environments
Air temperature can be successfully lowered by 5-15 degrees
Air conditioners use 90% more energy than an evaporative air cooler so making this switch can drastically lower your energy bill
