Summer is on the way. When the temperature rises, your HVAC system may see more use when trying to stay cool in your home. Here are some tips to help your system work more efficiently and to help lower your energy bill.
- Keep curtains closed during the day. Close up curtains, drapes, or blinds. This will prevent sunlight from entering your house and heating it up. Try to focus on covering east-facing windows during the morning and west-facing windows during the afternoon.
- Use CFL light bulbs. Old incandescent light bulbs produce a great deal of heat. It gives out more energy of heat than light. Using compact fluorescent light bulbs will not only save you energy but also reduce the heat output of the lighting in your home, saving you money.
- Change your cooking methods. Stovetops and ovens produce high temperatures when cooking your food and they also heat your home. Keep your temperatures low by using low-heat methods such as a crockpot or microwave. You can also take your cooking outside on the grill.
- Use fans. Fans will not impact the temperature of the air, but they will improve the rate of evaporation in the room, which makes you feel cooler. When the air is still, evaporation takes longer, so you’ll feel warmer. When air is moving, evaporation occurs at a quicker rate, making you feel cooler.
- Replace your air filter.
- If you have an air conditioning unit, it’s best to check it more frequently, especially during heavy use. Clean air filters improve airflow throughout the home so air conditioners don’t have to work as hard to keep your home cool.
- Follow the forecast. Outdoor temperatures can vary greatly over the course of the day. While it may be a scorcher outside during the day, the temperature drop overnight can be quite cool. Follow your local forecast to see if overnight temperatures will be comfortable, so you can shut off the AC and open the windows, taking advantage of natural cooling to save money without sacrificing comfort.