You don’t have to suffer through 90 degree days without A/C to cut down on energy costs…
According to estimates from the Energy Department, roughly half of a household’s overall energy usage goes towards heating and cooling. Seems like a good area to cut down on costs then, right? Right! There are some fairly and simple ways to cut down on the energy costs of heating and cooling; here are 5 quick tips to get you started.
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Check your insulation. Cracks or gaps in the insulation around your windows, vents, or doors means that cool air can escape-and what good is running the A/C if it’s just leaking cold air outside? Make sure to plug up and fix this issue so your A/C is not working overtime to cool down the outside of your home.
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Invest in Curtains. While we don’t really think about it, sunlight is one of the most effective ways to heat a home-which is great in the wintertime, but not so great in the summertime. Investing in lined curtains to block out sunlight can do wonders as far as keeping your home a little cooler. Even only keep curtains shut while you’re working during the day, will help keep your home a little cooler, which means your A/C won’t have to run so much.
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Clean Filters. Make sure you change out your HVAC filters regularly. Clean filters means your systems will be able to work more efficiently and effectively, which will help with both your heating and cooling costs.
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Program your thermostat. Invest in a programmable thermostat in your home if you don’t already have one. You can program your thermostat to the A/C down or off at night when it is cooler, to turn down during the day when no one is home, etc. It only takes a minute to program and then you can just watch your energy costs drop.
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Unplug it when you aren’t using it. Use power strips so you can easily turn off electronics that you are not using while you’re sleeping, working, or on vacation. When a device is plugged in, even when it isn’t “on”, energy is still diverted toward powering it. Unplug phone chargers, TVs, toasters, and anything else that you don’t need to have “on” at all times.
These simple tips are easy to implement and can help save you tons of money in energy costs-so it’s worth the effort! Try one or all of these to see your energy costs drop right away!
