In the Yuma area, when it comes to saving energy in your home, our long, intense cooling season is the main time of year to consider. Save money on your cooling costs this spring, summer and fall with these easy energy-saving tips:
Install Ceiling Fans
Simply installing ceiling fans in different parts of your home will help help your home’s interior feel cooler. As the fan blows air downward, it provides a wind-chill effect for room occupants. While this doesn’t actually lower the temperature, it 
does provide that effect, allowing you to turn up the thermostat by a few degrees. This is one of the easiest energy-saving tips you can follow, and the savings will quickly add up.
Check Your Thermostat
It’s tempting to crank up the air conditioning when it’s hot. However, this can be a big energy waster. Check the thermostat and try to keep it at 78 degrees when cooling your home. For each degree you set the thermostat higher for cooling on a consistent basis, you’ll save about 5 percent on your energy bill.
Close Blinds and Drapes During the Day
When the weather gets hot, you will save money on cooling costs by closing blinds and drapes during the hottest part of the day. Keeping out the hot sun will prevent the solar gain that quickly heats up your home. This is among the most basic energy-saving tips, but it will, in fact, save you money.
Remove Hot Air From the Room
When you are cooking with the stove, use the exhaust fan to remove the resulting hot air from the kitchen. The cost of running the fan will be lower than what it would cost for your air-conditioning system to run longer as a result of a warm kitchen.
Have Your Cooling and Heating System Serviced
The best way to make sure your heating and cooling system is working at optimum efficiency is to have your system checked out by a professional HVAC company. When your system is working well, the above energy-saving tips will only increase your monthly savings that much more. Contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Co. for a spring A/C maintenance check.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy-saving tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
