Even with the fall season coming, the heat and humidity in your Opelika, Alabama, home may still warrant the need to run your air conditioner. Follow these energy-saving tips to keep costs down while cooling your home.
Increase the Temperature at Night
Nighttime can be cooler when the sun goes down, and your body will be generating much less heat since you will not be moving around as much. This makes it the perfect time to increase the temperature 5 to 10 degrees and reduce the amount of energy you’ll be using during these hours. If your thermostat is programmable, include a sleep mode in the programming that will gradually increase the temperature until bedtime.
Close Off Vents in Unused or Cooler Rooms
In areas where you use less air, or where there are already cooler temperatures, such as basements, you can completely or partially close the vents that feed air into those rooms. This will direct more cooled air to where you need it most and reduce the amount of energy it takes the system to cool down your home.
Schedule Maintenance That You May Have Been Putting Off
A regularly maintained system is a more efficient one. Your HVAC system will get dirty over time, and as the dirt and debris begins to accumulate and can be pulled into the system. In turn, this causes your system to work harder to cool your home.
Rearrange Your Furniture
Your furniture should be positioned to allow maximum airflow throughout the room. Sometimes, due to size constraints in a room, furniture may be positioned in front of or blocking air vents. This reduction in airflow leads to higher energy use. If rearranging furniture is too difficult due to space, you can purchase diverters to attach to your vents to force the air where it needs to go.
Check Your Air Ducts for Damage
A lot of lost energy can occur as the forced air makes its way through the ductwork of your home. Your air ducts should be properly insulated, clean, and free from damages, cracks, and leaks. When there is damage to the ductwork, air leaks out, causing the system to use more energy to compensate for the loss.
Reduce the Heat From Lights
While your lighting may not draw a ton of energy, it can heat up the room, making your AC use more energy to cool it down. Turn off lights in a room when they are not needed, and reduce the amount of natural sunlight in your home. When the sun is at its hottest, it can beat down and heat up the house up to 5 degrees within an hour. Draw the curtains and pull the blinds to keep the cool air in and block the heat from the sun.
Program Your Thermostat While You Are Away
When you are away from home for a period of time, such as during work or when you go on vacation, be sure to set the temperature on your thermostat higher, up to 85 degrees. In addition, make sure all the windows and blinds are closed.
If you know when you will return, set the program to reduce the temperature to your comfort level about an hour before. If you are unsure, you may just have to tolerate a little warmth in the home as you wait for the AC to cool it back down.
Bring Out the Fans
Fans are a great way to circulate air, helping to cool the room quicker. The breeze from a fan also creates a cooling effect, which reduces the need for AC use. Fans do not use as much energy as your air conditioning unit, so take advantage of them whenever you can.
Try following the tips above to help reduce your energy bill when you need to run your AC unit. Is your air conditioner not running as efficiently as it should? Contact Sensigreen Heating, Cooling & Insulation at (334) 366-9237 today to discuss your air conditioning system and your options.
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