Air Conditioning, 11 Easy Ways To Save Money On

 

11 Easy Ways to Save Money on Air Conditioning: Apart from bonfires, barbecues, parties, and other activities, the familiar cold and conditioned air is a must during the summer months! It’s the one thing that makes our days a little bit easier. However, as in all positive stuff, there is a drawback. The cost of running the air conditioner all of the time adds up quickly on a monthly basis. According to a report published by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), air conditioning accounts for around 17% of home electricity costs, with the figure increasing to 27% in humid areas. It’s important to keep an eye on the expense of your air conditioner at the start of the season.

No one wants to spend $500 or more a month on air conditioning. It’s in our best interests to keep air conditioner energy costs as low as possible while maintaining comfort and convenience. Does it seem to be difficult? With 14 super simple methods, we’ll make it a piece of cake!

Air conditioning bill reduction not only saves money on a monthly basis, but it also decreases harmful greenhouse gas emissions. With global warming at an all-time high, it’s past time for us all to pursue a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Without further ado, let’s have a look at how you can save money on your air conditioner’s energy.

1. Renew the life of your windows

If you have old windows in your house, they are probably not very energy efficient. Investing in new energy-efficient windows will help you save money on cooling costs. While some initial investment will be needed, the savings that will be realized in the long run will more than compensate for it.

Newer windows have an energy-efficient coating that reduces the amount of infrared and ultraviolet radiation that enters the house through the glass. This coating is beneficial in both winter and summer. Over the winter, these windows keep the heat inside and prevent it from escaping. During the warmer months, on the other hand, the windows reflect the heat away, keeping the rooms from overheating. This reduces the load on your air conditioner, resulting in lower electric bills!

2. Check for air leaks in your windows.

Windows that aren’t properly sealed let air in. This means that the freshly cooled air has left the building, allowing cold air to escape. To cool your room and maintain the appropriate temperature, your air conditioner will have to work even harder. Sealing leaks or crevices prevents cold air from seeping out of your walls, lowering the need for air conditioning and saving energy!

The first step is to find the house’s openings before you begin caulking and sealing all of the leaks and cracks. Some of the most common sources of leaks and holes are listed below:

  • Access to plumbing and utilities
  • Entrances to attics
  • Knee-high walls
  • Ceilings that have been dropped
  • Frames for doors and windows
  • Ductwork
  • Switches and outlets
  • Furnace and Water flues

Check as many places as possible, and fill in any void!

3. Allow for some nighttime ventilation by opening the windows.

Cross ventilation is a simple and cost-effective cooling method. Fresh air can be circulated by opening a few windows in a house or only one room. During the night, this allows in cooler outdoor air to replace the humid indoor air. This process can be accelerated with the aid of fans.

This is particularly advantageous for families who live in the country’s northern and colder regions.

Note: If you open the windows at night, do not leave the AC on. Leaving the windows open puts the air conditioner under strain, resulting in increased air conditioner consumption and higher energy bills. If the weather permits, switch off the air conditioning and open the windows.

4. Can you turn off your air conditioning when you aren’t using it?

Yes, this seems self-evident, but you’d be surprised how lax some families are when it comes to turning off the air conditioning. When not in use, switch off the air conditioning in some rooms of the house. Switch off the air conditioner when you leave the house so it does not run while you are gone or at work during the day.

Isn’t it straightforward?

Many homeowners, unfortunately, fail to turn off their air conditioner before leaving for work, school, or holiday. Better still, get a smart AC controller with geofencing, which will switch off the
air conditioning when you leave your house and are more than a mile away. When you return home, the AC will automatically turn on once you are close by, ensuring that your home is lovely and new when you arrive.

5. Use Smart Technology or Install a Programmable Thermostat

11 Easy Ways to Save Money on Air Conditioning

Smart technology incorporates smart features that can greatly reduce energy consumption! Smart air conditioners and smart thermostats, for example, allow you to program your air conditioner or set intelligent triggers to help control a room’s temperature. Your air conditioner turns off as soon as the target temperature is reached, which lets you save a lot of money.

In hot weather, many people do not bother to change their thermostat. They set it to the coldest setting possible and keep it on for the whole day. According to the Department of Energy, lowering the room temperature by 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours a day will save US households 10% annually.

This minor adjustment can be made automatically by a programmable thermostat or smart thermostat. When you’re gone, it will detect your absence and either raise the set temperature a few degrees or switch the air conditioner off entirely. Furthermore, you can program the air conditioner to raise the set temperature by a few degrees when you are sleeping and then lower it when you are about to wake up.

Tip: Though smart air conditioners can be costly, smart air conditioner controllers can make any standard air conditioner smart.

6. Make use of ceiling fans as well as portable fans

Ceiling fans pump fresh air, relieving the air conditioning systems of some of their workload. Increasing a home’s energy efficiency by using existing ceiling fans (or installing them throughout the house) is a surefire way to do so.

Ceiling fans can appear to be low-tech, but they work wonders in keeping rooms cool. A ceiling fan not only decreases the amount of air conditioning needed in a home, but it also saves up to 40% on energy costs.

Portable fans are also a good choice. They can be strategically placed in the house or in a room, near windows or doors, to keep the space well ventilated.

Keep in mind, however, that there is a distinction to be made between fans and air conditioners. Fans do not actually cool the air; however, they make rooms feel fresher and cooler by moving air (and thus heat) away from the skin. Since fans use a fraction of the energy that air conditioning systems do, they save significantly more energy and are well worth the investment.

Tip: If you do have a ceiling fan, make sure the blades are pointed so that the air is forced down rather than up.

7. Changing Air Filters in HVAC Systems

Air filters are important for a well-functioning HVAC system. They keep dust and other airborne pathogens out of the air and from spreading around the home. These dust particles will build up on the filters over time, obstructing them. The HVAC machine would have to work harder to pump clean and fresh air around the house if the filters are dirty.

Air filters are often the most ignored part of an HVAC system, despite their importance. It’s important to have the air filter on your air conditioner tested, serviced, and replaced on a regular basis to keep it in top shape.

Homeowners should change their HVAC air filters every one to three months, possibly more often if they have children or pets. Changing the air filters will benefit your air conditioner in the following ways:

8. Arrange The Household Appliances Strategically

11 Easy Ways to Save Money on Air Conditioning

When used, many household appliances such as freezers, refrigerators, cooking ranges, and stoves produce a significant amount of heat. It’s best to keep these appliances in well-ventilated, less-used areas of the house while positioning them.

Having a refrigerator in the living room would heat it up significantly, causing you to lower the temperature of your air conditioner, further raising your energy costs.

Similarly, when using your cooking range, keep the kitchen door closed, an exhaust fan or well ventilated to avoid overheating other parts of your house. Taking care of this will help the air conditioner work more efficiently.

9. Insulate garages and attics

The house’s windows are only one source of air leakage. Air leaks from attics, partitions, and garage spaces as well. Heat can also transfer through the walls during the summer, in addition to leaks! One of the best ways to
achieve energy efficiency is to hire a specialist to insulate your home. If the house is older, it might be worthwhile to invest in adding insulation to the current frame.

You will keep outside heat out of your house by insulating it. Keeping your home cool by passive means rather than using air conditioning or other such methods can be a great energy saver during the summer months.

10. Blinds, curtains, and shades are all excellent options

In rooms that capture the sun and heat up like a greenhouse, air conditioning has to work harder. Installing blinds, particularly light-colored ones, is one way to block out the sun. Light-colored curtains or awnings will also help to keep the sun out.

Curtains, blinds, awnings, and other window shade treatments will help keep your house cool and your air conditioning bills low. According to the Department of Energy, smart window covering management will reduce heat gain by up to 77 percent!

11. Use a light-colored roof

When it comes to representing sunlight, color matters, just as it does with blinds and curtains. Darker colors, such as black, show heat much better than lighter colors. Dark roofs will cause temperatures to rise to 150°F or more in the summer sun, similar to how a black car or black shirt can get hot when outside in the sun.

Since lighter-colored roofs reflect the sun’s rays and heat, a light-colored roof is generally cooler than a dark-colored roof. As a result, less resources and money are spent on cooling it with air conditioning.

Under the same sunny conditions, a roof that is a light color or made of reflective material lets the home remain more than 50°F cooler than a darker color, providing homeowners with relief from both the heat and high energy bills.

Air Conditioning, 11 Easy Ways To Save Money On

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