HVAC-Tips

8 Tips To Cut HVAC Costs

agruenke

 

The air conditioning system in you home can increase the electricity bill by as much as 60 percent, but you can make some adjustments around the house to lessen its impact. All you have to do is follow the 7 steps below and your home will stay cooler without the need to spend a lot of money.

 

  1. Buy a Programmable Thermostat

 

A programmable thermostat will help you save a lot of money and can pay for itself in just one cooling season in most instances.

 

The reason why this is the case is that it never forgets to adjust the temperature when you can get away with it or shut the system off when you are not home. Out there are some amazing new systems that allow you to control the temperature in your home using your smartphone, which means that it can remain turned off most of the day and you can turn it back on just 30 minutes prior to your arrival.

 

A thermostat stops the compressor once the temperature in your home reaches a comfortable level and this keeps the unit from working harder thus using more energy. If you want to attain maximum savings, you should set the programmable thermostat to a higher temperature when you aren’t home and lower it to 78° Fahrenheit when you are indoors. If this sounds too hot, you should remember that the AC also removes much of the humidity from air, which means that it will feel much cooler.

 

  1. Regularly Clean Your AC Filters

 

The second most important thing you can do to lower your electricity bills is to clean the AC filters regularly.

Clean-Dirty-Furnace-Filters

Natural hair and dust accumulation can clog the filter even if you keep your home clean and this means that the AC unit will use more power to reach the set temperature. This can lead to considerably higher electricity bills, so clean or replace the filters every few weeks.

 

  1. Close All Vents in The Lower Areas of the Home

 

The reality is that heat rises while cool air falls. If you have a multi-story house, you may have noticed that the second story is one of the hardest places in your home to keep cool. Conversely, the basement always seems cooler.

 

Closing all vents in the lower areas of your home helps redirect the cold air to warmer areas and ensures more even temperature without consuming additional energy.

 

  1. Using Ceiling Fans to Improve Air Circulation

 

Ceiling fans help to offset the natural tendency for the cooler air to fall.

 

If you are looking to save energy by keeping the home set to a temperature that’s slightly warmer, ceiling fans can be an excellent way to keep air circulating while using less energy. They can even make you feel up to 8 degrees cooler since they keep the air in your home moving like a fresh breeze.

 

  1. Schedule Annual HVAC Check Ups

 

The unit is inspected and serviced by HVAC technicians to make sure that it operates efficiently. The technicians check for defects, remove any accumulated dirt, replace the air filters if necessary, service the unit, and address any issues that would otherwise snowball into expensive replacements and repairs. Schedule an annual check-up and the energy efficiency of your unit will be increased and the service life of the air conditioning system will be lengthened.

 

  1. Seal Cracks and Crevices

 

You don’t have to be incredibly dexterous to use a caulking gun to seal up the crevices and cracks around windows and doors. Doing this helps prevent the cold air from escaping and ensures that hot air does not leak inside. DIY weather stripping for your doors also ensures that you don’t waste money cooling the outdoors.

 

  1. Change Provider

 

You will pay more if your energy provider charges you more for it, so one of the best ways to save on HVAC costs is to change energy provider.

 

  1. Close the Drapes on the West and South Sides

 

Everyone is aware of the fact that a vehicle can get very hot when you park it in the sun, but most people are not aware that the same thing happens to a house. The reason for this is the sunlight that enters through windows and is converted to heat once inside. Keeping the drapes and blind on any west- and south-facing windows means that you never have to pay extra to get rid of the heat.

 

Contributed by: Heating Furnace Fix.com  Experts in HVAC , Heating and Cooling…

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how-to-keep-house-cool-without-airconditioning

How To Stay Cool When You Sleep Without Using An Air Conditioner

agruenke

 

A cool night’s rest is a good night’s rest and keeping your bedroom at the optimum temperature can really help you get a better sleep. Air conditioning is always going to be the most effective option, but if you don’t have it what do you do. We take a look.

keeping-cool-without-ac

Try The Egyptian Method

Inspired by the practices of ancient Egypt, the Egyptian method of sleeping can make it easy to stay cool on even the hottest summer nights. The basic concept is simple. All that you have to do is soak a bed sheet or a large towel in water before bed. Ring out as much water as you can. If you want, you can even put the sheet on the spin cycle in the washing machine to get rid of any excess water.

Then, when you go to bed, drape the damp towel or sheet over your body. As the water evaporates, it will help cool off your body in much the same way that sweating does. This technique works best if there is some air movement in the bedroom. Whether you crack a window or turn on a small fan, this is a great way to stay cool no matter how hot it is outside. You can also try hanging a damp towel in front of a window or wetting your clothes before you go to bed.

 

Close Your Curtains

People who travel to the Mediterranean from cooler parts of the world often find it strange that people keep their houses shuttered throughout the day. It isn’t that people are trying to block out the world or that they don’t like the light. Instead, it is so that their homes stay cool. Blocking out the sun can help keep the house from heating up throughout the day. The next time it is hot outside, try closing your curtains early in the day and leaving them shut all day to keep your house much cooler.

 

Eat Light Foods

When temperatures rise, a heavy meal can actually make you feel hotter. This has to do with your body’s metabolic process. When you eat a large meal, your body has to work harder to break it down. This requires an increase in metabolic heat.

This effect is amplified by protein. You can avoid the problem by sticking with light foods like fresh fruits and vegetables when it gets hot outside. You should also try to avoid cooking these foods whenever possible. This can keep your oven or stove burner from heating up your house even further.

 

Consider Sleeping In A Different Room

Bedrooms that are located on the upper level of your house or in other areas where heat and humidity accumulate are extremely difficult to cool. In these cases, you may be better off sleeping somewhere else instead. Some people recommend hanging a hammock to sleep in since it allows the air to move around all sides of your body.

A lot of newer mattresses are also a lot better for sleeping on, as they allow better air circulation. Check out these tempurpedic reviews for details.

Alternatively, you can try sleeping on the floor. Heat tends to rise. As a result, it is often much cooler at floor level. This works particularly well if you have tile or stone floors. If your house is extremely hot and muggy, you may even want to camp out in your own backyard. Sleeping outside can be a great way to escape the heat. Just be sure to protect yourself from pests like mosquitoes.

 

Use Your Home’s Landscaping To Your Advantage

Although this technique won’t yield results overnight, it will eventually help your house become cooler. If you plant trees or shrubs on the south side of your property, it may help keep your home cooler during the summer.

Shade trees or large shrubs with a lot of branches can help keep your house out of the hot summer sun. This, in turn, can make it much easier to maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home. Just make sure to plant deciduous trees rather than evergreens. That way, the leaves will fall off in the winter so that you can take advantage of the heat from the sun after the temperatures start to fall.

 

Contributed by: Heating Furnace Fix .com  experts in Heating and Air Conditioning…

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