Which of these two choices best describes your feelings when opening that summer-time electricity bill?
“Are we buying stock or just paying our bill?” or “This seems about right.”
While in the dead of summer, most customers often choose the first option, especially for families with older AC systems. With summer quickly approaching, it doesn’t have to be this way. Not when you implement these energy saving tips and tricks:
- Consider installing a whole-house attic fan: Completely turn off your central AC system when outdoor temperatures become cooler than the indoors. This alone can save you hundreds of dollars each year on your overall electricity bill.
- Run your ceiling fans in reverse: Ceiling fans should be drawing cool air upwards since cool air falls while hot air rises while in their summer mode. This act alone can allow you to raise your thermostat a degree or two with no loss of comfort. (We recommend switching your ceiling fan direction for the heating season, then back for the cooling season. Look for that little toggle switch on the side of the fan motor.)
- Appliance Use: Only use those massive heat-generating appliances like your oven or clothes dryer during the early morning or the late evening hours. This way, they are less likely to keep your AC working overtime (and it helps the electric company reduce brownouts).
- Consider installing a whole-house dehumidifier: if you start to feel that cool but clammy feeling while indoors. This typically happens with older AC systems that have plenty of that cooling power but just not enough to remove humidity like they once could.
- Keep your shades and curtains drawn: during the hottest parts of the days (that is usually between 2PM and 5PM) cover those sun-facing windows to reduce the room temp a few degrees. Invest in heavier, insulated blinds or curtains that keep the heat out in the summer, and keep the heat IN in the winter.
- Finally, have your AC system professionally cleaned and inspected each year: This helps lower your energy costs and can also help you look forward to having fewer repair issues, cleaner indoor air, and a longer system lifespan.
Overall, these tips and tricks can help you have an enjoyable, cool, and most importantly: low-cost summer 2018. Make an appointment today with Pickerington Heating & Cooling for an AC Tune-Up and Checkout and save even more!
