Tips to Keeping Your AC Expenses Low

There is nothing better than walking into your nice cold air-conditioned home on a scorching hot day! The hotter it gets, the lower we set our AC, and the higher the hydro bill goes. With hydro rates increasing, who needs to add to their expenses? So, here are a few tips and tricks you can use to help keep your money in your wallet instead of in the pockets of the hydro companies.

1. If you have central air, make sure all the vents in your home are open. We often think by closing a vent to push the air into other areas of the home it will help, but that’s a myth. By closing too many vents you can actually decrease the air flow to a point where the air conditioner will freeze up.  The air conditioner will continue to operate and not be able to remove any heat, or moisture causing the air conditioner to run continuously and cost you more money.

2. Keep your filters clean. Commonly we are told to replace the filter in our furnace twice a year, but by making it a monthly task you are ensuring airflow is not being blocked by dirt, dust or debris that gets trapped in the filters.

3. Use fans to move the air. It is common knowledge that heat rises and cool air falls, so during the summer, you will find that your upstairs seems warmer than the downstairs. Using a portable fan (which uses less energy that an air conditioner) to force the cool air up with help circulate the air to where you need it to go.

4. Decrease the use of major appliances. Of course, you need to do laundry and make dinner, but if you make it a point to do laundry during the evening and if make your loads smaller you will notice a difference. Lighter loads mean less work for your dryer therefore less heat is produced. When it comes to making dinner, think outside the box. Instead of turning on your oven which gives off a lot of heat, use the Barbeque or slow cooker. Many of us find it’s often too hot to eat big meals in the summer, so salads are another great option.

5. BTU’s matter. If you are using portable air conditioning units, be sure you have the right size of machine for the amount of space that you’re cooling. If you are trying to use a small unit for a large space, the air conditioner will constantly be working at full force to cool the air but on the other hand if the air conditioning unit is too large, it will cycle on and off too frequently.  This will not allow the air conditioning unit to remove the moisture, and cause premature failure of the air conditioner.

6. Program your thermostat. Having a thermostat that you can program to change the temperature for times you aren’t home or during the night when it tends to be cooler is definitely a good investment.

If you use these few tips and tricks you will be sure to see a decrease in the energy you use and the amount of your bills. Stay cool this summer without breaking the bank!

 

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