Cool Off Your Summer Energy Bills

Are you one of the many who see their electricity bill rise during the summer? With the temperatures increase, our natural reaction is to crank the AC. And that’s when you really feel it in your wallet.

Thankfully, there are ways to keep your energy costs lower this summer. Here are some ideas:

Adjust Your Thermostat. The easiest way to save money on electric bills is to make strategic adjustments to your thermostat.

• Keep it higher when you’re not home.
• Lower it when you’re sleeping.
• Even better, install programmable thermostats that you can set to adjust automatically.
• If a room isn’t in use, close the vents and close the door.
• Even if you adjust your thermostat by one degree, you’ll save money.
  
  

Clean Your AC. Have an HVAC company come and clean your AC filters and ducts. The cleaner your AC units are, the more efficient they operate.

Use Ceiling Fans. If you have ceiling fans, use them.

• Set them to turn counterclockwise to push the hot air down and circulate the colder air.
• Using ceiling fans in connection with your AC will allow you to keep the AC thermostat set higher.

Close the Curtains

The sun is your energy-cost enemy. Close your blinds and curtains during the hotter parts of the day to prevent sunlight from overheating the house.

Do One Thing: Have your HVAC system regularly cleaned to ensure that it is running efficiently.

Original article by Chris O'Shea and adapted in partnership with SavvyMoney.