Air-conditioning tips to lower your electricity bill

The first part of these air-conditioning tips are all about things you can do even before you turn you’re A/C on.

Make sure your condenser is well-shaded but not smothered. The condenser needs to be able to release the heat it takes out of your house. Shade will make it cooler than elsewhere but overcrowding with bushes will reduce its ability to disperse heat effectively.

Hang drapes or curtains in the windows and use them to keep out the sun when it’s at its strongest. Keeping heat out of the house will prevent your A/C from having to remove it.

Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Lighting generates heat which means the A/C has to work harder to bring the temperature back down.

The sun beats down from above hitting the roof as much as anywhere else, so make sure your attic is properly ventilated.

Try to avoid indoor activity that generates more heat. Cooking is a great example. If it’s hot enough to turn on the A/C, it should be hot enough to cook outdoors on the grill.

Once the season has begun in earnest you need to make sure you understand what the air conditioner does and how to make it work more efficiently for you.

Whatever temperature you think you need to set the thermostat to, you can probably stand it a little higher. Just because it’s a scorching hot day and the A/C allows you to select 70 degrees does not mean that this is the best course of action. Consistency is the key to both comfort and optimum savings.

Maintaining a temperature of around 76-78 degrees should be more than comfortable and you can afford to go a little higher at night when it’s cooler out.

Keep the filter clean to avoid causing the A/C to work harder. Check with the manufacturers for the best way to clean your filter and the optimum time between cleaning sessions.

Combine air conditioning with ceiling fans. The constant circulation of air may allow to raise the thermostat by a few degrees while maintaining the same ambient temperature.

Close doors and vents into rooms you are not using. There’s no point in paying to cool somewhere you’re not.

(seekingalpha)


Tags: , ,

Posted by on Mar 11 2010. Filed under Save money. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

You must be logged in to post a comment Login