While having a home air conditioning system can be great for retreating from the hot summer weather, getting your monthly utility bill can make you cringe. With energy prices constantly on the rise, it’s likely you want to reduce your bills during the summertime. Fortunately, we’ll share with you some of our best tips for lowering your summertime cooling bills below.
Use a Smart Thermostat
Probably the best place to start saving money on your summertime cooling bills is to install a smart thermostat. These thermostats offer many great advantages, with one of the most important being programmable settings. You can set a higher temperature for times when you know you’re not at home, like when you’re at work.
This will allow your air conditioner to run less often when it’s not necessary to cool your home. Additionally, smart thermostats come with eco-friendly modes and learning technology that can further enhance the energy-efficient usage of your home air conditioning system.
Run Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are an absolute must for any homeowner who is serious about saving money on their energy bills. It costs much less to run a ceiling fan than it does your entire air conditioning system. The idea is to strategically run your ceiling fans when you’re in a room to help provide a nice gentle breeze.
That breeze will wick away sweat from your body and naturally cool you down. When your body is able to cool down, you can set the temperature on your air conditioning system higher while still remaining comfortable. Aim to install a ceiling fan in all the major rooms of your home, including your bedrooms, kitchen, and living room.
Block Out the Sunlight
Sunlight can drastically increase the temperature inside your home. For this reason, it’s necessary to block out sunlight during the daytime hours to prevent it from increasing the temperature indoors. This will ensure that your air conditioning system doesn’t have to constantly run to maintain a comfortable temperature. Consider using blinds, curtains, or shading landscaping.
Seal Up Your Exterior Walls
No matter how great your air conditioning system is, if you have air leaks on your exterior walls, the hot air from outside can easily penetrate your home and increase the interior temperature. It’s best practice to assess all your exterior walls in the spring and seal up any air leaks that you find. These are most prominent at your door and window frames but can also be found at your light switches and outlets.
Get Professional Maintenance Service
One thing you definitely don’t want to skip over is getting professional maintenance service. This service will ensure that your air conditioning system is operating at its peak efficiency level. When your air conditioner is efficient, you can have the peace of mind that you’re not overpaying for your energy bills. If you fail to get annual maintenance service, your AC could be operating inefficiently and increasing your energy bills.
Consider Getting a New AC Unit
If your existing air conditioning system is over 15 years old, you may want to consider an upgrade. A new air conditioner will likely be much more energy efficient than your existing one. You even have the option of spending a little more upfront and getting a high-efficiency system that will further save you money on your long-term energy bills. This one upgrade can have a significant impact on your summertime cooling bills.
Consider a Whole-Home Dehumidifier
There’s no doubt that Cincinnati can experience some very humid weather during the summer months. Unfortunately, humidity can make your body feel much hotter than the air actually is. This is because less of the sweat that your body produces to cool itself gets absorbed into the air. When it’s overly humid, it will feel hot and stuffy.
One of the best ways to combat high indoor humidity during the summer is to invest in a whole-home dehumidifier. This unit integrates seamlessly with your existing home air conditioning system to provide the removal of excess moisture from the air above and beyond what your air conditioner already does.
By setting your indoor humidity level to between 30% and 50%, you can greatly increase your comfort without having to constantly turn down the temperature on your thermostat.
Exceptional AC Maintenance Service
National Heating & Air Conditioning provides exceptional AC maintenance services for Cincinnati, OH. In our efforts to provide home comfort and promote sustainability, we can also help with all your cooling system installation, replacement, and repair needs. Call our office today to schedule your next service appointment.
