Ways to Keep Cool While Lowering Your A/C Bills
A recognized evil unique to all utility bills is the mid-summer air conditioning bill. Unlike other seasons, the hottest temperatures and the subsequent need for maximum cooling is all concentrated within 2-3 months.
On average, cooling costs demand over half of your energy bill during a particularly long stretch of blistering heat.
In recent years, more than ever we have the need for home cooling and in turn, insight into how we can keep cool and reduce that increasingly expensive energy bill. The dog days of summer are not yet over, so here’s our expert advice on how you can cut costs.
1. Replace Your Filter and Keep Up With Regular Maintenance
Replacing your air filter should be your first step. If your AC filter is clogged up it’s bad for your family’s health and the health of your AC unit, making it work much harder for the same result. If you have pets living in your home, you’ll want to change the filter more frequently than most. Replacing your filter is cheap and quick, and made even easier with Crystal’s filter auto-delivery program. Sign up here, and we’ll drop your required filter right at your doorstep on your custom schedule.
Maintaining your air conditioning unit will keep your energy bill as low as possible by enabling more efficient cooling. This proactive measure will increase the longevity of your HVAC system and save you money on your monthly bills.
2. Turn On a Ceiling Fans
A ceiling fan can help you save up to 40% on electricity when paired with a well-maintained air conditioner. Air circulation will assist your AC so it doesn’t have to work quite so hard. Ceiling fans push cool air down, reducing the tendency for heat to rise and cool air to fall making for a more even room temperature.
Ceiling fans can also make a room feel a shocking 6-7 degrees cooler by circulating the air your AC has already cooled, taking some heavy lifting off your unit. The wind-chill effect from the fan allows you to raise thermostat temperatures without feeling the difference. That means major savings on your energy bill.
3. Close Your Blinds to Keep The Heat Out and Cool Air In
You know when you’re wearing black outside on a sunny day and you feel like you must be absorbing every ray the sun is giving off? It’s the same with curtains. Opt for lighter colour blinds to deflect the sun on hot summer days.
Closing blinds while you’re gone will also work wonders for keeping the cool air inside and the scorching heat out. A Crystal air conditioner will work at peak performance to cool your space to whatever temperature is most comfortable for you. Help it along the way with these tips and save even more cash.
4. Patience is a Virtue
We’ve all done it. We come in from the blazing sun and we crank up the AC much cooler than is realistically comfortable in a desperate attempt to blast the house with cold air. But this isn’t cooling the house any quicker.
Your air conditioning will still take the same amount of time to cool per degree whether it’s 5 or 15 degrees off the mark. Save some money and let yourself, and your home, cool down to a normal room temperature.
Better yet, try setting your thermostat to 75 rather than 72. You likely won’t notice a difference, until you see your energy bill.
It’s summer, so take it easy, give Crystal a quick call and chill! Use those dollars saved from your energy bill to bask in the sun and throw a burger on the BBQ. And when you’re ready to head back inside to enjoy that glorious AC, we’ve got your back!
