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Top 6 Home Energy Saving Tips for Summer

Heating & Cooling Tips

Home Energy Saving Tips PictureIt gets pretty hot during the summer in Kansas City. Your air conditioner works very hard to keep your home cool. But that comfort comes with a price tag – a big price tag.

Thankfully, there are things you can do to lower your utility bills. Jeremy Services has made a list of the top 6 things you can do to lower your energy bills this summer.

1. Use a Programmable Thermostat

If you don’t have a programmable thermostat – get one. It will pay for itself over and over again. Simply setting your temperature up a few degrees will help reduce your energy bills. Sometimes, you won’t even notice the slight change. Try setting your thermostat just two degrees warmer than usual.

Did you know that a setback of 7-10 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day can save as much as 10% on annual heating and cooling energy use? If your home is unoccupied during the day, this is a no-brainer. Plus, you can use it to save money in the wintertime too.

A programmable thermostat also makes it easy to set the temperature higher when you leave your home for a week or so on vacation. Just set your thermostat to 85 degrees Fahrenheit to save. You can program it to come back to a comfortable temperature a few hours before you arrive home, so you’ll never feel the difference (except in your wallet).

Related Read: How to Use Your Ductwork to Throw Away Money

2. Change the Filter in Your Air Conditioner Regularly

Another way to help your air conditioner out is to change the filter at least once a month. A dirty filter makes your AC work harder. Keeping it clean helps it run more efficiently, making utility bills lower.

3. Use Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans don’t actually affect the temperature in your home. They won’t make it cooler. What they will do is make it feel cooler.

Fans create a wind chill effect of air moving over your skin. This air movement will increase the evaporation of moisture from your body, making it seem cooler in your home even when the temperature is the same. This means that you may be able to set the temperature a couple of degrees higher without feeling any warmer.

Other fans can help too. Run bathroom fans when you take a shower to remove heat and moisture and kitchen exhaust fans when you cook for the same reason. Don’t run them continuously, however, as they will steal cool air from your home sending it out the vents and costing you more. Use them when it makes sense to remove extra heat and humidity.

4. Grill More in the Summer

Speaking of heat created by cooking, avoid using your oven when possible. Grill outside and plan meals that don’t avoid heating up the entire kitchen every night. Think sandwiches, wraps, monster salads, chilled soups and more.

5. Replace Your Light Bulbs with LEDs

A simple switch to LED bulbs will lower energy bills now and into the future. Compared to typical incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs use less power, last much longer (1,200 hours vs. 50,000 hours), emit much less heat (3.4 btu’s per hour vs. 85 BTUs/hour), and lower electric bills. If you haven’t made the switch, do it now and reap the benefits for years.

Related Read: Does the “L” in LED Stand for Love? We Think It Should

6. Close Window Blinds during Sunlight Hours

Solar gain works against your air conditioner. When the sun shines into your home, it adds more than light. It adds heat. Closing your blinds during the day will keep it from heating up unnecessarily.

Use these tips to stay cool this summer and save money on energy bills, too. Call Jeremy Services at (913) 375-0070 to get the most out of your system with a tune-up or AC repairs.