Wednesday, March 25, 2015

5 Ways To Save Money On Your Energy Costs This Summer

By Pete Demuth


5 years ago, I got laid off. This was the peak of the recession, and many people were in the same boat. Although being out of work was dreadful, one of the greatest shocks that I got showed up in the form of the electrical energy expenses that we got throughout the summer season. I really did not know how much air conditioning cost. Additionally, I was home all the time so I had the device running more than when I was at work. We just didn't have enough cash to deal with such massive costs for the whole summer. So I developed a strategy to minimize my household's utility costs while I was out of work. Here are the steps that we took.

Suggestion # 1: First of all, make certain that you keep your garage door closed during the day. An open garage can get unbearably hot. This can require your air conditioner to work even harder when chilling your house. In addition to trying to keep the heat out, make certain that you keep the cool air in. In particular, seal up any breezy windows that might be letting the cool air out.

Tip # 2: See to it there are no pieces of furniture or other things around the thermostat for your central air conditioner. Also, make sure that there are no plugs, power cords, or lamps near the thermostat. Thermostats can pick up on the heat from these items and run much longer than they need to.

Step # 3: We also purchased a programmable thermostat. These are excellent little units that only set you back $30 or $40. I got the entire household in the habit of setting the thermostat to a greater temperature that we were used to. Do not get me wrong; our residence was still cool enough. However I 'd set the thermostat to a level that wasn't too cool. The other terrific thing about a programmable thermostat is that you can set the timer to turn the ac system on or off when you would like. One of the most intelligent things I think I did was to program it to shut off around midnight. The whole family was asleep by then and we actually didn't need the cost of air-conditioning throughout the middle of the night.

Tip # 4: Take a look at your landscape design. Putting trees that can offer shade near the outdoor unit of your a/c can enable it run more effectively. In fact, some studies suggest that you can save 10 % on your air conditioner expenses just by keeping the exterior system shaded. See to it that you have a look at the outdoor compressor one or two times a week to clear off any leaves or particles that might have fallen on it.

Pointer # 5: Get a specialist to come out and perform an evaluation of your air conditioning system once a year. You can identify great recommendations through online review websites like Angie's List. A yearly review will catch any prospective issues prior to they develop into really costly ones. If your air conditioner is 15 or 20 years old, you might consider updating to more energy effective model. This is among the smartest things you can do to conserve money on your utility bills all summer season long.




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