Summer electricity bills are daunting for a majority of homeowners because they can soar beyond expectations. The rising temperatures increase the cooling needs of the homes to keep them at a comfortable temperature and humidity levels. The energy bills witness a steep rise during these months as the usage of air conditioning increases. There are several measures that you can take to save energy as well as cut down your power bills. Here are some effective ones that you can try out this summer.
- Keep your house well insulated: Long hours of air conditioning usage tend to elevate the energy bills drastically. It is a good idea to cool the house once and keep the cool air inside with a proper home cooling strategy. Keep the doors and windows tightly shut so that the hot air stays outside and the cool air stays inside. Invest in insulated curtains and blinds and keep them drawn so that external heat is not able to make its way into the home.
- Keep the thermostat at an optimal setting: Another measure that you can take to bring a substantial reduction in the energy bills is to optimize the thermostat settings. A setting of 78 degrees can lower the annual energy costs by almost 10%. A programmable thermostat is a smart investment as you can use it to automate the temperature settings with the use of smart home technology.
- Avoid using hot water: Summer is the time when you can definitely cut down the water heating bills. Enjoy cool showers instead of hot baths. Use tap water for washing and rinsing vegetables in the kitchen so that you can reduce at least a part of your electricity bill without making any extra efforts. You can even try washing clothes with cold water during summer.
- Get your air conditioner a maintenance check: Get a professional maintenance check for your home air conditioning right at the beginning of the summer season. Avail reliable maintenance services from credible providers such as stuartproair.com and ensure that your AC is delivering high power efficiency and energy savings. Any issues with its performance can increase the power usage and impact its performance as well. Your service provider will identify such issues and address them too.
- Maintain your refrigerator too: Besides keeping your air conditioning system in a good shape, ensure that you do so for the refrigerator also. Keep the thermostat at optimal settings, which are 35-38 degrees for the refrigerator unit and 0-5 degrees for the freezer unit. Make sure that the refrigerator door is always shut tight and its seal is well in place so that the cool air remains inside.
Do not rely completely on energy-intensive cooling sources like air conditioners to keep your home comfortable during the hot days and nights. Have ceiling fans in your room so that you can turn it on once the AC has made them cool enough. Cultivate energy saving habits such as turning off the lights and devices when not at home and unplugging appliances when they are not being used. Small efforts can go a long way to lower your power bills and make this summer a pleasant one.