Photos By: Stock Images

The warmer weather during the summer months means more vacations and fun. However, the high temperatures also mean that your air conditioning system has to work harder to cool your home, increasing the electric bill. For this reason, consider other ways to keep you and your loved ones comfortable while saving money. Read on for four tips to cut your cooling costs this summer. 

1. Use ceiling fans

Ceiling fans provide an effective way to make your home more comfortable without having to adjust the thermostat to lower temperatures. Fans do not cool the house; instead, they use the wind chill effect to make your space more comfortable to live in. Since fans do not lower temperatures, you should always turn them off when no one is home to avoid wasting electricity. Be sure also to ascertain that the fans rotate in the right direction. During summer, the fan should run counterclockwise to push warm air down and pull cool air up to provide your house with a chill effect.

2. Ensure routine AC maintenance

Be sure to keep up with regular air conditioner maintenance to enable your unit to run with maximum efficiency. You could perform simple DIY maintenance tasks such as cleaning or changing the filters. AC filters trap dust, pet dander, and debris from the air. However, these impurities accumulate and clog the filters over time, making your air conditioning use more energy to cool the house, spiking the cooling costs, so you should change them every six weeks to three months.

You should also schedule routine air conditioning maintenance with a reputable company like Buckeye Heating & Cooling. A professional contractor can check your air conditioning system for wear and tear or damage and perform timely repairs. This keeps your HVAC system in top condition enabling you to cut the electricity bills.

3. Invest in LED light bulbs

If you use traditional light bulbs such as incandescent or fluorescent bulbs to enhance visibility inside your home, it is time to switch to LEDs. To illuminate your home, incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs produce a lot of heat, and the air conditioning system has to work harder to get rid of this heat to cool the home, which increases the electricity cost. Reduce the energy costs by installing LEDs, as these light bulbs give off less heat, use less energy, and last longer. Although the initial LED light bulb installation may be at the high end of your budget, you will likely recover the cost from the significant savings on your monthly electricity bills.

4. Close curtains and blinds

Almost 30% of the outside heat enters your home through the windows. Most people opt to keep the curtains and blinds open during summer to let in natural light. However, the sun’s light transfers into heat energy, giving the HVAC system a more challenging task in maintaining ideal indoor temperatures. By closing curtains and drapes, you deflect heat, preventing it from entering the house. Be sure to invest in bright-colored blinds and curtains that reflect sunlight while avoiding the absorption of unwanted heat.

Endnote

You do not have to pay more to keep your family comfortable this summer. Use ceiling fans, schedule regular air conditioner maintenance, install LED light bulbs, and keep the curtains and blinds closed to prevent the HVAC system from working harder than it should, allowing you to lower the cooling costs.