Budget-Friendly Cooling: Lowering Your Summer Electric Costs

While running your air conditioner will cool your home, it consumes a lot of energy, leading to higher electricity bills. Yet not using the air conditioner isn’t practical. Here are a few steps you can take to use your air conditioner and lower your electric bill to keep both yourself and your wallet happy in the summer heat.

How to Reduce Energy Use in the Summer

Here are four tips for reducing your home energy usage while using your air conditioner:

• Seal your ducts: Leaky air ducts create places for the cold air to leak out. Inspect your ducts for leaks and holes, making repairs with metal tape or mastic sealant. You can also hire a contractor or a utility company to do the job.
• Adjust the thermostat: You can keep your air conditioner at a higher temperature than you may think and still feel refreshed. Blowing ceiling fans, wearing lightweight clothing, and using ice packs will help you cool down and allow you to bump up the temperature on your AC unit. Even a one-degree change helps save energy.
• Use a programmable thermostat: A programmable thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature based on a schedule. You can create a schedule to keep the temperature at one reading during the day and another at night as well as when you are away and when you arrive home.
• Use the energy saver function: When the room reaches your desired temperature, the compressor will shut off, but the fan will not, leading to home energy waste. Units with an energy saver function turn off the fan too.

Maintaining Your Air Conditioning System

Basic maintenance of your air conditioner is simple enough to do on your own. Here are four tasks you can perform on a regular basis:

• Clean the filter: Look at your filter at least once a month to see if it’s clogged with particles. If it’s disposable, throw it out and purchase a new one. If it’s reusable, vacuum the debris, wash it in soapy water, let it dry, and put it back in your unit.
• Clear the outdoor unit: Investigate your outdoor condenser to see if there is grass, weeds, and leaves around it. Remove this debris so the unit can work efficiently.
• Clean the coils: Like the filter, the evaporator coils can collect debris that you can vacuum. You should also check the coils on the condenser — just shut the power off first.
• Align the fins: Check the fins in the compressor and evaporator to see if they’re bent. If they are, you can realign them with a fin comb.

Choose Shipley Energy Home Services for Your Air Conditioning Needs

Shipley Energy Home Services has been in the HVAC business for 85 years. Trust our expert team to service your AC system to keep it working efficiently. To learn more about our air conditioning service, contact us online or call 855-630-2854 to request more information.