When the Missouri weather heats up, you’ll likely be turning on your air conditioning system to stay nice and comfortable. However, we’re sure that you want to keep those energy bills in check. Here are some tips for saving money on your summertime cooling bills.
Use a Smart Thermostat
One of the best investments you can make for your summertime cooling bills is a smart thermostat. This type of thermostat allows you to program in different temperatures depending on the time of day and day of the week. This will allow you to better optimize your energy usage by keeping temperatures cool when you’re at home and allowing them to get warmer when you’re away. Many new smart thermostats will monitor your energy usage and provide recommended eco-friendly settings.
Ventilate Your Attic
If you’ve ever gone up in your attic on a hot summer day, you know just how warm and humid it can be. Without that air being properly ventilated, your attic could reach temperatures up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This is not only detrimental to the overall lifespan of your roofing materials, but it can also allow that hot air to seep down into the rooms of your home. One of the best ways to help combat overheating in your attic is to provide adequate ventilation. The more ventilated you can give your attic, the less hot air will make its way down into your home.
Supplement With Ceiling Fans
One of the best supplemental devices to use alongside your HVAC system is a ceiling fan. You should have these installed in the most highly trafficked rooms of your home, such as your living room and even bedroom. By having the fan spin in a counterclockwise direction, it will force air down to the floor. This will create a wind chill effect on the body and make you feel much cooler than the actual room temperature is.
Use Your Household Exhaust Fans
When you let excess moisture get trapped inside your home, that high humidity can make it feel much warmer than it is. One of the best ways to avoid high humidity in your home is to use exhaust fans. Have an exhaust fan in every bathroom that you can turn on when you’re taking a hot shower. You’ll want to use a range hood over the stove to help direct any hot steam directly to the outdoors.
Keep Up With Air Filter Changes
One of the biggest efficiency killers for any cooling system is a dirty air filter. When your air filter reaches the end of its lifespan, it will be trapped so full of airborne particles that it will be hard for your air conditioning system to pull air through it. You should opt to keep up with regular filter changes and always have extra air filters on hand so that you can do a swap when necessary.
Block the Sunlight Out
Natural sunlight pouring into a window has been shown to increase a room’s temperature by over 10 degrees. To prevent your AC system from having to combat that excess heat, do your best to block out any direct sunlight throughout the daytime hours. You can use blinds, curtains, shade trees, or even UV-resistant window film.
Keep Your Outdoor Unit Clear
Your outdoor condenser unit is imperative for dispersing the hot air pulled out of your home. Whenever debris gets stuck up against the side of your unit, it restricts its ability to disperse that hot air. Make it a habit to check your outdoor condenser unit for debris after every major storm to ensure they can always operate at peak efficiency.
Use a Whole-Home Dehumidifier
With Missouri having a very humid climate, it only makes sense that you’ll need to combat that excess humidity inside your home. One of the best ways to do this is to have a whole-home dehumidifier. Whenever your dehumidifier senses that your indoor humidity level is too high, it will kick on and help remove moisture from the air until your relative humidity level returns to your desired setting.
Expert AC Service
Swiss Air Heating & Cooling, LLC offers expert AC service for the entire O’Fallon, MO community. We can also assist with your heating, heat pump, plumbing, indoor air quality, ductwork, gas inspections, ductless systems, Wi-Fi smart thermostats, one-source home connections, and commercial needs. Give us a buzz today to schedule your next service appointment. Ask us about our AC maintenance!
