We’ve just entered into the summer. The warm weather we were waiting for. In the summertime, cooling down your home may result in your electric bill getting skyrocket. And that’s a severe problem. It leaves you from enjoying what summer got to offer and keep thinking about the bills.
In this post, we’re going to share 10 energy-saving techniques that you can use right away without sacrificing your daily comfort. Make sure to implement more than one idea so that you’ll get better results.
Seek and fix leaks
This never takes more than 60 minutes to get done.
Leaks and cracks around your windows and doors allow cold air to flow outside. Although you may not observe it, it makes your air-conditioner give that extra push to keep the house cool. And that may result in higher utility charges.
Make sure to check out electrical sockets, light switches, windows, doors, and baseboards for leaks. Fixing air leaks at home cuts down cooling costs as it helps to keep cool air inside.
Spend time outdoors
We must admit that we had the desire to go out in the warm sun back in winter. Well, now is the perfect time for that. Summer is the best time to get out together with friends and family and enjoy the things we can’t get during the cold.
When you’re out with friends, you’re not using energy. You need to double-check and turn all the appliances off while getting out of the house.
Make a plan to go out at least once a week. That can add up and save you some bucks at the end of the month.
Don’t just turn off, but unplug
When we turn off the switch for a device, we assume that it stops drawing power. But most of our electronics continue to devour even when not turned on. It’s called the “Energy Vampires”.
To save yourself from losing the sneaky $100 to $200 a year on an electric bill, unplug your appliances when they’re not in use. If you look around your home, there are plenty of devices that can be unplugged. Seize them, don’t let them become energy vampires.
Use fan instead of air conditioning
Did you know the fact that fans roughly use 1/60th of the energy of an air conditioner?
It’s true. A ceiling fan can benefit everyone in the room to feel cooler without running the air conditioners for hours. The fan doesn’t really lower the temperature in the room, but they produce a chill effect. A fan will make you feel more relaxed by pulling body heat away from your skin.
Fans can also be beneficial during the night times. If you live in an area that drops in temperature at night, then you can use fans to bring in the natural breeze to cool down your house.
This summer, avoid depending upon air conditioners and try using ceiling fans and floor fans.
Use power during off-peak hours.
The time of the day you use more devices is also crucial for saving money on your bills. “Peak-hours” are the hours in the daytime, when the demand is the highest.
You can schedule the high-energy requiring activities to “off-peak” hours early morning or late night. During hot days, it’s better to cook, wash dishes, or do laundry after 6.PM.
Block the sun using drapes and blinds
Your window coverings not just helps to decorate your home. They’ll also help to save energy. Installing blinds and drapes can help to prevent your home from heating up under the warm sun.
When fully drawn down and closed over the window when there is a lot of sunlight, Blinds can reduce heat gain to 45%. On the other hand, if you use drapes to cover windows, receiving direct sunlight will help to reduce heat gain by 33%. That will help your air conditioner to work less.
If you have any of them at home, make sure to use them to your advantage and save money on utility bills.
Use a programmable thermostat.
A programmable thermostat is an energy-efficient tool. It helps you to automatically alter the temperature all day by scheduling it ahead of time. You don’t have to correct it several times a day.
The device helps you to program what hours when nobody’s home and when you will be asleep. It will then automatically adjust your home’s temperature accordingly.
Instead of constantly adjusting your thermostat, you’ll have peace of mind and still save energy.
Wrap up
Summer can be a time for pure joy. But you need to always keep an eye on even small details that could save you extra bucks every month in utility bills.
Use more than one tip to gain maximum advantage over the bills this summer.