How to Save Money on A/C.
When summer hits, it doesn’t just affect how hot you and your family get, it can also affect your wallet. Paying for air conditioning can really add up, especially when it’s super hot. So you may be searching the web to find the best ways to be frugal about air conditioning. I have done the same several times and have tried many helpful methods. I am thrilled to share these 10 Easy Ways To Save Money On Air Conditioning, so you won’t have to spend as much this summer!
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Many of us take air conditioning for granted because we just simply don’t like to be hot. Then when you get your electric bill, you feel like you are smacked in the face. Those charges really add up, and it happens so fast you may not even realize it’s coming. Everything is becoming more and more expensive, including the cost of running your air conditioner. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to keep yourself from such high energy bills. Then you will have a little extra money to use for vacations, food, or everyday items.
10 Easy Ways to Save Money on Air Conditioning
1. Adjust Your Thermostat
It may seem like a no-brainer, but many of us just leave our thermostats set to the same rate all the time. This is fine when you are home and enjoying it, but if you are gone, why pay to cool the house? If you are away at work every day, it makes sense to turn it to a higher temperature, then adjust it once you get home. Even better, check out tip #10 to hear how a smart thermostat may help you.
2. Add Fans To Your Space
You’ll be amazed by how much running fans can help circulate air and cut back on your air conditioner running. There are so many types of fans available nowadays, and many of them are very quiet too. Place them in all of the rooms where people congregate, and they will help keep all of you cool and refreshed. Adding fans near the air conditioner vents will pull the air and help spread it all over the room. This will also make your air conditioner work less hard and could potentially allow it to last longer too.
3. Skip Cooking With Your Oven and Stove
There are so many methods for cooking food that doesn’t include using your stove and oven. If you have a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or grill, you can make most meals without heating your house. Or, eat more foods that don’t require being warmed up at all. Fresh items like a big garden salad, veggies, or fruits are all lovely options.
I’m sure there are plenty of times you will need to have your oven or stove on, but it will warm up your home a fair amount. If at all possible, run an exhaust fan to suck that hot air out. It’s also better to use the stove in the early mornings or evenings when it’s not as hot outside.
4. Keep Your Windows Protected and Turn Off Lights
There are several things you can do to your windows to keep the hot sun from warming up your space. They make heat control window film that will help prevent the heat from coming into your home. You can install it yourself wherever you like, and it can make a substantial impact on the coolness in your home.
Also don’t keep lights on in the rooms you aren’t using. During the daytime, you should be able to spend a lot of the day without any lights on at all. This will make an impact on your energy bill and affect how often your air conditioner turns on.
5. Hang Out In Lower Levels Of Your Home
If you have a basement, then that is an ideal place to spend time in the summer months. Because the basement is underground it’s naturally cooler. Add some fans and relax downstairs for a pleasant experience. If you have a two-story house, try to avoid the upstairs unless you need to be there. The heat will rise, and that will be the warmest spot in the home, so you would be more likely to turn on the A/C.
6. Take Care Of Your AC Unit
Make sure to keep the filter changed and the until maintained. If your air conditioner until is older and outdated, it may have to work a lot harder to cool the space, and the more it runs, the higher your bill is going to be. Consider replacing your air conditioner if it’s not running efficiently.
Also have your ducts checked to make sure there aren’t any clogs or anything preventing the air from flowing properly. They should be insulated and protected to allow your unit to work its best.
7. Cool Off Outside the Home
If you have space for an outdoor pool (in-ground or above ground), that’s a wonderful way to cool off! You can turn up the air conditioner and spend time cooling off outdoors. Sprinklers, covered patios, and other shady spots in your yard are great places to cool off too. Use your imagination, and I am sure you can find some fun things to do!
8. Check A/C Vents
Look over all of your air conditioner vents. If items are blocking them, you may need to move furniture and other items so they can flow easily. It’s much better to have air that is going to flow through your space than just blowing underneath a bed or behind a television. If needed, you may need to add some plastic air deflectors to send the air in certain directions.
9. Open the Windows
When it’s cool in the mornings or at night, open the windows and use fans to get air moving. This is a wonderful way to save energy and add some really cool air into your home. Before it gets hot outdoors, close everything up tight, and turn on your air conditioner. That extra fresh air is good for you anyway!
10. Get a Smarter Thermostat
Something we did recently that’s been really helping us save money on air conditioning is we switched out our 15+ year old thermostat for a smart Nest thermostat. Not only is it more convenient (I don’t have to get up and change the settings several times a day, instead I can set a schedule or use the app) but it also has made us much more aware of our A/C usage. At the end of every day, the Nest app tallies up the total amount of time your A/C ran that day. It was a shock the first time we saw how many hours the A/C had been on! It may be much more than you think! So the Nest has helped us find the optimal temperatures for our schedule, setting a balance between comfort and cost. We expect our Nest to definitely pay for itself pretty soon. Nest thermostats aren’t compatible with every system (you can check your system’s compatibility here), but there are other smart thermostats out there that I imagine are just as helpful.
I hope these tips help you save money on air conditioning so you can have some extra wiggle room in your budget! Because I’m sure you’re like me, and there are so many other things you want to spend money on besides running the air conditioner!
What’s your best tip for saving money on air conditioning?
You might also be interested in: 16 Ways to Save Money on Electricity
We’re using LED lights, (no heat). We also sleep with a fan blowing on us. Our thermostat is on 78 in summer and 68-70 in winter. When I cook, (hubby cooks the most), I cook enough for a couple of meals. So the next night, we reheat in the microwave. We also try to eat between 4 and 5 at night. Oh, and we have the ceiling fans on all year. Except for the bedrooms we don’t use.
Also you can use an outdoor grill.