Saving Energy This Summer
Have you ever forgotten to flip the light switches before leaving the house? Or turn off and unplug your appliances? During the summer time, we tend to spend more time outside in the sun rather than sitting inside and because of this, we can forget to do those small things that help us save energy and can ultimately lead to lower energy bills. There are a few things we can do to help reduce the expenses and save some energy this summer!
Use Air Conditioning Efficiently
The number one thing that takes up the most energy is our air conditioning system. In the hot summer heat, our AC units work hard to bring down the temperature inside of our homes. However, we don’t have to be dependable upon the system. If you live in an area where it cools after the sun goes down, turn off the AC and open your windows during the night to let in the cool air. Once morning comes and you wake up, close the windows and shut the blinds to trap in the cool air. You’ll save money by eliminating the dependence on air conditioning.
Know Your Thermostat
Another way to keep the costs down is to know how to run your thermostat efficiently. During the hot weather, it’s smart to set your thermostat at the highest comfortable temperature you can stand. When you’re going out, set the temperature higher than normal. A smart temperature to set the thermostat to 78°F (26°C) when you’re actually home and need to cool down. This will keep you from spending money on cooling when you’re not home.
Use Fans and Vents
Air conditioning isn’t the only way to cool a home, so use other systems to your advantage. Fans and vents are great tools. They can allow you to drop the temperature set on your thermostat by 4°F.
Vents help you with the other side of the situation. Instead of directly making something cooler, vents take away the heat in rooms, specifically bathrooms and laundry rooms. When taking a shower or doing laundry, turn on the vents inside the room to take away the heat and humidity. This will help keep the heat from spreading from room to room, ultimately lightening the load on your air conditioning system.
Minimize Heat-Generating Activities
Lights, computers, curling irons, dishwashers, TVs and even light bulbs can all add heat to your home. Minimize the use of things that will warm up the house, including cooking. If you plan on cooking something, try grilling it outside instead to keep your home as cool as you can and ultimately lowering your energy bills. As for lighting, consider replacing older light bulbs with newer, more efficient ones. Old incandescent lights only use 10-15% of energy to produce light. The rest gets transferred into heat. However, newer compact fluorescent lights are much better at lighting up your house without heating it up.
Turn Off Appliances Not Being Used
Don’t forget to turn off the lights when you leave a room, or to unplug things that don’t need to be used. Another smart trick is to use power strips instead of individual plugs in outlets. This way, all you need to do to cut off power to anything on the power strip is flick the switch.
The summer is a hot time during the year, and it can take a toll on our electric bills. However, a lot of it is easily avoidable, so take the time to turn the lights off before leaving a room, and try cooking dinner in the back yard. By using these little tips and tricks, you can keep costs down while still enjoying your summer. After all, summer is a great time for the outdoors, but we can’t forget about the indoors. For help or questions, call the trusted experts at Any Hour Services Utah.
Jul 5th 2016
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