Want to save money on energy bills this summer? Tips on best AC setting, cooling your home
Trying to keep your home at a comfortable temperature while navigating seasonal weather changes can be a pain, especially if you want to make sure you’re not breaking the bank by running the A/C.
To keep your home cooling system efficient and budget-friendly this summer, we’ve got some tips to help you out.
The perfect temperature for your AC
Sitting inside and sweating just from walking around is not anyone’s ideal version of summer, but neither is watching all your money go toward cooling bills.
The happy medium is finding the sweet spot for your AC that allows your family to remain cool but doesn’t work your cooling system too hard.
MakeMyHouseGreen, a solar platform, reports that the ideal indoor temperature should provide a comfortable environment and minimize energy consumption.
The exact temperature you set your AC to depends on the needs of your home, like how many rooms need to be cooled at once, and who lives in it. Age and health conditions can make people more susceptible to health impacts from the heat, so keep these factors in mind when deciding whether to up the AC a degree or two on hot days.
HVAC.com reports that 78 degrees has long been marketed as the ideal thermostat setting in the summer, but if that’s too hot for your household, try your best to keep your thermostat above 72 degrees. For each degree that your thermostat is above 72 degrees, you can save up to 3% on your energy bill. When sleeping, setting the thermostat to 82 degrees is recommended. Gradually increasing your thermostat temperature over time will help ease you into the practice of letting your thermostat rest at higher temps.
If pets are in your home, do not set the thermostat higher than 80 degrees, said HVAC.com
When you’re away from home for a few hours or on vacation, increasing the indoor temperature of your house by 5 to 7 degrees can lower your monthly energy costs. According to ENERGY STAR, setting your thermostat closer to 85 degrees when you’re gone is ideal.
Other ways to efficiently use your AC include opting to use a smart thermostat for automated temperature adjustments throughout the day and implementing “zone heating,” which is cooling only the occupied areas of your home. This reduces energy waste in unused spaces, according to MakeMyHouseGreen.
Other tips for cooling your home, from HVAC.com, include:
Using fans.
Closing blinds and curtains to reduce the amount of heat entering a room, especially when you are not home. Blackout curtains can reduce the amount of heat that enters a room by up to 24%.
Avoiding the use of heat-generated appliances, like ovens, dryers and stoves as much as possible. Consider using these appliances in the evening when it’s not as hot outside or opting to grill outdoors once a week.
Optimizing airflow by arranging furniture and other belongings in a way that does not block any vents or take up prime space in front of fans or cooler areas, allowing air to circulate effectively.
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Ceiling fan hacks
If you plan to take advantage of your ceiling fans this summer, there are a few ways to make the most of them and help you save money on cooling.
During hotter months, your ceiling fan blades should rotate counterclockwise. This pushes air down in a column and creates a “wind chill” effect. To maximize this effect, run your fan at the highest speed, according to Home Depot.
Optimizing your ceiling fan this way can let you increase your thermostat by 4 degrees while remaining comfortable and can reduce your energy costs by up to 30%.
To change your ceiling fan’s direction to counterclockwise, and eventually change it to clockwise during the cooler weather, most fans have a switch on the motor that can be flipped. To check if your fan is moving counterclockwise, stand directly under the fan and look up. You should feel a rush of air if it is moving in the correct direction.
An outdoor ceiling fan spinning counterclockwise at high speed can help keep mosquitoes and other flying insects away due to air force.
More ceiling fan tips from Home Depot include:
Consider upgrading to a new model if your fan is emitting little to no air movement. It may have a failing motor or the pitch of the ceiling fan blades may be too flat.
Keep the blades and motor clean. Buildup can cause the fan to work harder and use more energy.
Turn off ceiling fans when no one is in the room. Fans make people feel cooler or warmer, but they do not actually cool a room, so there is no need to keep them on when no one is present.
Install a ceiling fan with a remote control or a ceiling fan switch. This makes it easier to control the fan and allows you to change the direction of the blades by tapping a button.
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Get ahead of vampire energy
Also known as standby energy or phantom power, vampire energy occurs when appliances or devices continue to use energy while plugged in, even when turned off, according to Delmarva Power.
Common household items like computer cords, game consoles, printers, phone chargers and coffee pots still draw energy from your home while plugged in, resulting in unnecessary energy usage. For those of you with plug-in fans around the house, those are hidden energy drainers, too.
This can account for up to 20% of the total energy used by a device and more money lost from your wallet, according to Delmarva Power.
Tips from Delmarva Power to cut back on your energy usage and save money:
Unplug your phone charger, laptop charger and other electronic devices once they are fully charged.
Turn off all lights when leaving a room or use timers for indoor and outdoor lights.
Use energy-efficient LED bulbs. They last longer and use up to 75% less energy than standard bulbs.
Unplug all nonessential devices like televisions and other electronics before going out of town.
Use a power strip with an on/off switch to completely shut off electronics around your house when they are not in use.
Weather-strip or caulk leaky areas to trap escaping air from windows and doors. Close chimney flues.
Look for the ENERGY STAR label on home appliances, electronics and other products, which ensures that the item meets strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: The best AC temp to save money on cooling bills this summer, more tips
