Take a second and look at your electric bill. Right now. Ever wondered why it’s so high, and more importantly, how to make it lower?
Here are five easy ways you can instantly save money on your monthly bill:
- Don’t set your A/C too low
For every degree below 78 degrees Fahrenheit, your energy consumption is increased by 3-4%. The warmer you set it, the cheaper it is.
- But also, don’t turn off the A/C while you’re out
An Air Conditioning unit works extremely hard to cool off a hot house. It’s also not efficient to keep your home at a consistently low temperature while you’re not there to enjoy the benefits. Your best bet is to invest in a programmable thermostat. You can program it to begin gradually lowering the temp in your home so that it’s where you want it to be when you get there. Smart thermostats can save you up to 10% on your cooling costs.
- Stop running ceiling fans in an empty room
Ceiling fans don’t create cold air, they simply move the existing air that’s in the room. They cool people, not rooms. Ceiling fans can be a supplement to an A/C system by helping move the cold air that’s generated, allowing you to raise the temperature on your thermostat a few degrees, but running a ceiling fan in an open room is costing you money with little to no result.
- Stop closing vents
Central A/C systems are designed to balance and distribute air throughout the entire house. The cool air you think will come through the duct and out your register, simply stays in the duct. You’re essentially paying to keep your ductwork cool. This can also force the compressor to cycle more often and put more strain on your system. If you want to keep only part of your house cool, invest in an air splitter.
- Clean your air filter
The air filter does exactly what you’d imagine, it filters all the air that comes through the air conditioning system. This includes a lot of junk including, dust, dander, dog hair…and anything else floating around your house. It doesn’t take long for that filter to get pretty dense and prevent thorough air flow through your system. This makes your A/C unit work much harder to suck the air in to pump it back out to you. Do yourself and your electric bill a favor and clean or replace your air filter AT LEAST once a month.
Last, but not least – if your air conditioning unit is out of date, this could be the root of all your problems. For any air conditioning needs, feel free to contact All-American A/C and we’ll be happy to help you find a solution to keep your home cool and your bills low.