When the weather heats up, homeowners tend to find their utility costs rising as well. While you might not be able to completely avoid higher bills, there are some things that you can do to keep them from increasing too much.
Use the AC Less
You’ll need to use air conditioning in sweltering temperatures, but you don’t have to keep it running full-blast all day and night. Set the thermostat for 76 to 78 degrees when people are home.
If you have ceiling fans and you run the AC and fans at the same time, you won’t have to cool your house as much, but you’ll still feel comfortable because of the breeze from the fans. Set fans so that when you look up, the blades rotate counter-clockwise.
Don’t Cool Areas That Aren’t Being Used
If there are rooms that you don’t use on a regular basis, or that you only use at certain times of the day, don’t waste money cooling them when they’re sitting empty. For instance, if members of your family don’t spend time in their bedrooms during the day, close the doors, set the thermostat in those areas for a relatively high temperature, then cool the bedrooms in the evening, before people go to sleep.
Use Blinds or Shades to Block out Heat
Sunlight streaming through the windows on a hot day can make the inside of your home oppressively hot. Keep blinds or shades closed during the day to block out as much sunlight as possible and keep the interior from heating up. Blackout curtains can be a good investment, especially for parts of your house that get a lot of direct sunlight.
Make Your House and AC More Energy Efficient
Gaps around windows and doors can let hot air into your house and allow cooled air to seep out. That’s the last thing you want during a heat wave. Inspect all the windows and doors in your home and use caulk or weather stripping to seal any gaps.
A clogged filter can make an air conditioning unit less efficient, which can result in high utility bills. Cleaning the filter is a simple way to save money.
Put off or Avoid Activities That Will Heat up Your Home
Cooking, baking, and doing laundry produce heat. If you do those things on a hot day, your air conditioner will have to work even harder to maintain a comfortable temperature indoors.
As much as possible, put off those types of activities until the evening, when it’s cooler. That will help you avoid heating up the house and will also save you money since utility companies charge less for electricity that’s used during off-peak hours. If you have a grill, cook outside during hot weather.
Don’t Waste Electricity
Turn off lights when you leave a room. Appliances and electronic devices use electricity, even when they aren’t being used. Unplug appliances and devices that aren’t being used to keep your utility bills down.
