How to Save Money on Your Summer Air Conditioning Electric Bill

Save Dollars Daily with these tips

Your summer electric bill will more than likely be, by far, the most expensive bill if you compare the dollar amounts throughout the whole year. As such, finding ways to save money on your electric bill during this time of year can be very important, if not essential. The following provides a few tips to help you in your pursuit of cheaper bills.

Things You'll Need

• No additional items are required at this time.

Instructions

1. Check where your room registers are set. This single step will solve most of your problems. Close registers in unused rooms, like storage rooms or small bathrooms, where the door can be left open to still have circulation. It is okay to close a few depending on the size of your system and number of registers throughout the whole house.

2. Check your air intake filter monthly. You will be surprised how many airborne pollutants are in your house. If it is dirty, change it. A dirty filter can make your system work harder than it should, causing it to use more electricity. Filters are usually located in the hallway ceiling or wall.

3. Set your thermostat to 78 degrees while you are at home and 85 degres while you are away. There's no reason to run the A/C when you are at work or away from the house. Consider installing a programmable thermostat, which will allow you to set your A/C to turn on 30 minutes or so before you expect to get home.

4. For all electric systems or heat pumps, do not adjust the temperature more than one or two degrees from the current temperature at one time. If you do, your system will go into an "emergency electric draw" and cost a whole lot more without cooling a whole lot more. Once you have reached the one- or two-degree temperature drop decrease, adjust the thermostat another one or two degrees until the desired temperature is achieved.

5. Install heavy curtains or light-blocking shades. This prevents additional sun rays from baking the air inside of your house like an oven.

6. Use fans. It really doesn't matter whether it is a ceiling fan or an oscillating fan as long as it moves air. Moving air feels cooler than still air. This cooling effect can be intensified by misting yourself with spray bottle filled with water.

7. Check your window and door seals. With age, all seals eventually go bad. Change out any cracked or peeling seals. Re-caulk around your windows if necessary. Also, close the doors if you go outside. There is no reason to air condition the whole neighborhood.

8. Have your A/C unit coils cleaned and inspected by a certified electrician approved by your local electric company. You may need to have the air conditioner coils cleaned periodically as they develop a dirty build up. During the same service call, have the Freon levels checked as it may be low because of a leak in the system.

9. Plant a tree. You would be surprised at how much this step will help. The tree's natural shade will keep everything a little cooler, therefore, translating into savings, plus it is good for the environment. Check with your local electric company to see if they have a free shade tree program.

Tips & Warnings

• To reduce your overall electric bill, follow these steps: always turn off electronic equipment after you are done using it or if you leave the room; use the power-saving feature on a computer or unplug unused items that have a visibly lit display like a VCR or toaster oven; decrease the temperature on your water heater, if electric; and switch to flourescent light bulbs.

References

• Consumer Savvy Tips: Save Money on Electric Bills This Summer
• azfamily.com: How to Save Money on Your Electric Bill