Temperatures can soar during the summer, and homeowners worried about high cooling bills often fret over what to do. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to use less energy in your home during summer. Here are a few tips.
Use Your Fans
Although fans don’t drop the temperature of your home much, they do make it much easier to handle higher temperatures. Try out your ceiling fans to see if they let you use your heater less frequently. Make sure your fan is set to the “summer” setting as the winter setting won’t provide as much comfort. If you’re mostly concerned about keeping one room more comfortable, consider trying out a floor fan.
Focus on Important Rooms
Do you have a guest room or other space that’s rarely used? If so, try setting your vents so that only the important rooms are heated. If the room is on a separate thermometer, make sure to set it to a higher temperature. You might even want to tuck a towel or other item underneath the door to prevent air from seeping through. Consider reducing the sunlight that enters unused rooms as well; closing the curtains or shutters, for example, can provide better insulation and reduce heating from the sun.
Check Out Your Doors and Windows
One of the highest areas of energy loss is air leaking through doors and windows. By upgrading your doors and ceilings, you can cut back on your energy usage in both hot and cool months. In some cases, it’s best to install new types of windows to enjoy the latest in efficiency technology. If not, simply ensuring a proper seal along the edges can do wonders.
Install a Smart Thermostat
The days of setting thermostats manually are over for many people, and you can help tailor your cooling to you and your family’s needs with a programmable thermostat. These thermostats can be set to let your home warm up while nobody is home and turn on the cooling before people arrive. They can also provide energy reports and let you adjust your settings through the internet while you’re away from home.
Cook Outdoors
Firing up the grill can be a great way to enjoy time with family and friends outdoors, but it can also cut back on your cooling bills. All of the heat you generate while cooking will eventually leak into your home, forcing you to rely more on your home cooling.
Modern HVAC solutions keep us comfortable, but they also cost us money. However, by taking simple steps, you can ensure your home remains cool and inviting while saving some money on energy bills and reducing your impact on the environment.
