Steps You Can Take To Lower Your Air Conditioning Bill

Posted on: 13 October 2015

If you're tired of the high price of cooling your home in the summer months, there are some things you can do to lower your reliance on yourair conditioning. The only way to lower your bill is to run the AC less, and if you follow these recommended steps, you may achieve that goal and increase the energy efficiency in your home.

Buy A Programmable Thermostat -- A programmable thermostat lets you program different temperature settings in your home for different times of the day. So for example, if you know that no one is going to be home for six hours during the day, you can set the thermostat at a high temperature for that time period, and then set it for a lower temperature when you know people are home and need that cooling. A programmable thermostat automatically shifts between your specific settings and you can set a lock on it if you don't want your kids messing with the AC. Programmable thermostats also include features such as remote operation that lets you change the setting from a mobile phone or tablet when you're not home.

Seal Your Ducts -- Many ducted AC systems waste a lot of cooling air through leaks that are never fixed. You can prevent this issue by having an HVAC technician inspect your ducts every year to ensure that there are no leaks and, if there are, to seal those leaks so that your AC runs more efficiently. Remember, ducts are the means by which cool air flows from your outdoor condenser into the vents of your home. If there are leaks in your ducts, a portion of that cool air is just escaping without ever reaching your vents, which forces your AC to stay on longer to cool your home.

Replace Your Air Filter -- Another simple thing many people forget to do is to check the air filter and replace it at least once every six months. The air filter's purpose is to filter dust, debris and dirt from entering your vents, but if your air filter is clogged and dirty, that means dirty air is blowing into your home, and it also means less air is able to get through the filter, which again forces your AC to work harder to cool your house. Air filters aren't expensive, and they can make a big difference in the amount of cool air flowing through your home and the quality of that air.

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