Since summer brings the highest electricity consumption in most households, taking advantage of opportunities to reduce cooling costs is a budget-friendly strategy. First, schedule an annual tune-up for your air conditioner before the big heat sets in. A qualified HVAC technician will restore the unit to manufacturer’s specs for both energy efficiency and performance. Once your cooling system’s in optimum condition, then it’s up to you to reduce cooling costs without sacrificing comfort. Here are a few suggestions:
- Program summer coolness. Install a programmable thermostat to automate temperature changes in yo
ur home and make cooling more consistent. Programs included in the unit can reduce cooling costs by as much as 20 percent the first year of use. - Turn on ceiling fans. They use a fraction of the electricity your air conditioner consumes, yet the gentle air motion can allow you to bump the A/C thermostat up several degrees without sacrificing indoor comfort. For every degree you can increase the thermostat setting, you can reduce cooling costs by up to 3 percent.
- Check the ducts. If you’re wasting air conditioning dollars cooling the attic or crawl space because your A/C ducts are leaking air, you need to know about it now. Inspect visible spans of ductwork for deterioration including loose, leaky joints, collapsed segments of flexible duct or rust and corrosion. If you note defects, contact your HVAC contractor about a pressure test and duct sealing options.
- Air seal the house. In summer, heat energy infiltrates the cool interior of your home anywhere a crack or gap allows air exchange with the outdoors. Use caulking to seal cracks along the intersecting joints between interior and exterior walls as well as the ceiling. Replace worn weatherstripping around doors and windows.
- Visit the attic. Insulation prevents attic heat from conducting into living spaces. Measure the depth of insulation in your attic. If you’ve got less than a foot of fiberglass or 10 inches of loose-fill cellulose, talk to your HVAC contractor about topping up your insulation level.
For more advice to reduce cooling costs in Yuma this summer, contact Hansberger Refrigeration & Electric Company.
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 cooling costs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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