How to Keep Cool Without Going Broke: Cheaper AC in 11 Easy Tips (2024)
The Western U.S. is sizzling this July Fourth weekend, including spots in the normally cool Northwest where many homes have no air conditioners. Wherever you live, and whether a heat wave is a novelty or just what you call those months between April and October, here are 11 tips for cooling your home without breaking the bank.
Make sure you have the right air conditioner
Don’t buy more air conditioner than you need. If you’re only looking to cool one room, a window unit is the best buy.
Cooling power is measured in British thermal units, or Btus. You can cool a 400-square-foot room with a 9,000 Btu air conditioner, though you might need a more powerful machine if you’re using it in the kitchen or in a very sunny space. Click here for a quick guide to picking the right size.
If your home already has a system of ducts installed, central air may save money.
Energy efficient appliances are marked with an “Energy Star” sticker. On average, Energy Star air conditioners are 15 percent more efficient than other units. If you’re replacing a 10-year-old unit with an Energy Star model, you can expect the new unit to be 30 percent more efficient. Some smaller units can now cool a room for just $70 a year.
Turn up the thermostat
You can go cooler when you need to, but keeping your thermostat at 78 degrees will save energy while maintaining comfort. Every degree above 78 saves about 2 percent on your bill, while every degree below costs an extra 6 percent.
Use fans to help the AC
Fans are cheaper to run than air conditioners, and can be used in place of air conditioners or along with them to save money.
If you have a ceiling fan, run it at the same time as the AC. It pushes cooler air down and over the bodies of the people in the room. You can actually raise the thermostat on your air conditioning unit by 4 degrees without lessening the cooling effect if you turn on the ceiling fan.
Make sure the ceiling fan’s blades are turning counter-clockwise and pushing the air down, not up. If the fan is pulling the air up, it defeats the purpose of running it.
Don’t run fans when you’re not around
If you’re running a floor or ceiling fan in a closed room, just remember not to leave the fan running when you’re not there. Fans themselves don’t actually cool a room. They just cool the bodies inside the room by moving the air. And don’t use the air conditioner’s fan setting in a window unit if it’s hotter outside your house than inside. You’re just pulling hot air into your house.
Use a programmable thermostat
Take advantage of the timing features on a programmable thermostat to let your house heat up when you’re not there and when you sleep. You don’t want to spend money on air conditioning when it’s not doing anything for you.
Don’t let the sun in
This doesn’t mean no natural light can enter your house. Installing window coverings that let in light but keep out heat is a win-win that will help you save on cooling costs.
Turn off the lights
Incandescent bulbs create more heat than light. Use compact fluorescent bulbs if you can, but whatever bulbs you use, remember to turn them off.
Maintain your unit
Regular maintenance is crucial. Replacing and cleaning filters can reduce energy consumption by 5 to 15 percent. The Energy Department also recommends checking and cleaning the evaporator coil yearly, straightening bent coil fins with a “fin comb,” cleaning debris and leaves from the fan, compressor, and condenser, and snaking out drain channels to prevent clogging. If you have central air, make sure none of your registers are blocked.
Cook outside on hot days
Any internal heat like an oven or stovetop will put a strain on your air conditioner, making it much less efficient. If you must cook inside, consider using your slow-cooker, and use the range hood fan to suck the hot air out of the kitchen. Grilling in the backyard will save energy. Chances are that was part of your July Fourth plans anyway.
Use box fans and ceiling fans to promote air circulation throughout your home. Opening doors in the house and using box fans to push hot air outdoors can function as an "exhaust" system and draw cooler evening air into the house. In the cooler evenings, open all windows and promote as much air circulation as possible.
Fans are cheaper to run than air conditioners, and can be used in place of air conditioners or along with them to save money. If you have a ceiling fan, run it at the same time as the AC.
Conclusion. The answer to the question “is it cheaper to leave your air conditioner on all day?” is a resounding yes. You'll save money on your energy and repair bills, especially during the summer months.
Energy Saver recommends setting your air conditioner to 78 degrees when you wake up, 85 degrees during the day, and 82 degrees when you're sleeping to save the most money.
HVAC experts say that it's completely fine for your AC to run all day. Some AC units are designed to work at full capacity, and some people get this AC installed in Everett, WA. It's always better to schedule an annual check and get your AC repair in Everett, WA, when needed.
Research shows sleep can be disrupted by temperatures anywhere below 65 or above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. But for most people, heat interferes with sleep more than cold does. Sleep experts believe the best temperature for great sleep is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Studies have shown that, on average, shutting off your air conditioner at night will reduce your total cooling costs by somewhere around 30% compared to leaving it turned on 24 hours a day.
It may seem redundant to run both a fan and the AC together. However, the two work in different ways to cool down your home. A fan cannot provide the cold air that an air conditioner does. Just like an A/C cannot provide the circulation of a fan.
If you're consciously trying to reduce energy bills at home, rest assured that even running a fan all night is typically inexpensive, and is sure to cost less than cranking up the AC. According to Shawn Laib, an energy expert with Clearsurance, 'Running a fan all night long is very cheap.
According to the GHI, placing a bucket of ice in front of a fan as a homemade AC unit is just as effective. 'As the air passes over the ice it will be chilled and will circulate refreshingly cold air around the room,' they explain.
'If you're looking for relief from the heat, it's best to put ice in front of a fan, not behind it,' he says. 'When this happens, the cold air from outside will enter through the open window, causing air pressure that pushes hot air out of your house naturally. '
close off unused rooms - close doors and vents - don't cool what you don't use. shade your windows on the sunny side of the house. cook outdoors - enjoy the summer BBQ. don't use dry cycle on dishwasher - leave door open and let them air dry.
The Facts. Leaving your air conditioner on is actually more efficient than frequently turning it on and off. Having your AC on also allows you to better control humidity in your home throughout the day. The lower the humidity in a home, the more comfortable it feels during hot weather.
While this might sound logical, this is actually 100% false. Why though? Sure, turning your air conditioner on uses energy, but if you're keeping your air conditioning system on at all times (including when you're not home) you're not using your air conditioner efficiently.
Keeping your home at a constant temperature generally means that your HVAC system will run constantly to meet it. This means that your furnace or air conditioner may run when you're asleep, at work, or out of the house. This wastes more energy than the minimal amount that you might save by having it constantly run.
It's best to not set your thermostat lower than 70 to 72 degrees. Most units are not designed to cool a house below that point, and you risk the system freezing up. I recommend trying to keep your house below 80 degrees at all times during the summer.
What Temperature Should You Set Your Thermostat When It's 100 Degrees? A good rule of thumb is during the hottest days when the dial reaches 100 degrees it is best to set your AC to somewhere between 75 and 80 degrees.
On those sweltering 100 degree summer days, your air conditioner should be running almost continuously. This holds the temperature inside your home close to the setting on the thermostat.
This constant running will reduce pressure in the evaporator (cooling) coil until it freezes over. This is dangerous because the freezing can cause liquid refrigerant to flood back to the compressor and damage it. And the compressor is an expensive part you don't want to replace.
Your AC unit should run its cycles for about 15 to 20 minutes, no more than a couple of times within an hour. If your AC is running for long cycles, it could also indicate a problem. Any AC system failure left unsolved could mean a costly repair and a hefty electricity bill.
Modern air conditioning units are designed to run 24 hours a day. There is no harm in having it run to keep your home cool all day long. If you wanted to, you could have your AC unit running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If your thermostat is set on “auto”, your AC compressor does not run 24 hours a day.
But in actual fact, fans don't cool down your room in the way that an air conditioning unit can. They do relieve some of the struggles of living in high temperatures, circulating air and making you feel cooler, but even the best modern fans won't actually lower the temperature of your room by themselves.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory recommends positioning fans to direct the breeze directly toward the people in the room. This ensures the greatest degree of evaporative cooling power.
Also called an evaporative cooling system, a roof misting system lowers surface temperatures by spraying an extremely small amount of water across the roof, allowing the water to cool the roof as it evaporates. Think of it as akin to the way sweating cools your body.
First, check for these common problems: Dirty air filter—A dirty filter restricts airflow, not letting your home get enough cool air. Closed vents—Closed vents in rooms can cause them to be hotter than other rooms. Open windows—Your conditioned air can flow out of open windows, leaving uneven temperatures in your home.
'If you're looking for relief from the heat, it's best to put ice in front of a fan, not behind it,' he says. 'When this happens, the cold air from outside will enter through the open window, causing air pressure that pushes hot air out of your house naturally. '
Wring the cloth out so that it's damp, not dripping wet. Lay the cloth over the fan. As it blows the air out, it'll circulate through the cloth and the air will feel cooler.
A ceiling fan does not actually lower the overall temperature in a room, but it can definitely make a space feel cooler. Ceiling fans primarily work through something called a wind chill effect. Essentially, the moving air across your skin helps to evaporate sweat at a faster rate.
Does using ice and a fan help with warm air? Fans circulate air to keep a space cool. As the ice cubes melt due to the warm temperatures, the fan will blow that cool result from the ice cubes, causing a cooling effect in the room. During a hot day, even one fan and a bowl of ice cooling a room will help.
You should place outward-facing fans on the warmer side of your home to blow the hot air out and inward-facing fans on the cooler side to draw cool air in, says Barry Jacobs, vice president of product development at Comfort Zone, a home environment product company.
'First, keep your windows, doors and blinds shut during the day to avoid hot sun beating down into your house. Then, during the evening, open your windows and place one fan facing out of your window, so it pushes the heat out,' they advise. 'Use a second fan, placed inwards, to circulate cool air into the room.'
If you have closed your air vents, or your vents are obstructed by furniture or upholstery, proper airflow is disrupted. This can most certainly cause some rooms in your home to be hotter than others while placing extra strain on your HVAC system.
First, check for these common problems: Dirty air filter—A dirty filter restricts airflow, not letting your home get enough cool air. Closed vents—Closed vents in rooms can cause them to be hotter than other rooms. Open windows—Your conditioned air can flow out of open windows, leaving uneven temperatures in your home.
If your bedroom has lots of windows and is pounded by the sun, heat can become trapped inside and push up the temperature. You can battle the sunlight by installing blinds and curtains (either standard or blackout), and keeping them closed during the day.
Introduction: My name is Lidia Grady, I am a thankful, fine, glamorous, lucky, lively, pleasant, shiny person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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