The advent of air conditioning has made a number of areas around the United States more comfortable places to live. It has been estimated that around the nation, two-thirds of all homes have it. One issue many people have is that while they love to use air conditioning to keep their home cool, it can cost a lot. Air conditioning companies recommend doing the following things to reduce the amount of energy used to cool a home:
- Get better insulation. One problem a lot of older homes have is that they have insulation that does little to keep cool and warm air inside a house. Rather, people end up doing more than keeping their own home cool but they end up paying to cool the area outside of the house as well. There are things that can be done to stop this. Putting in new windows and adding seals to doors can reduce the amount of cold air you let into your neighborhood. This is a simple problem to diagnose, you do not have to be an expert in AC repair services. All you need to do is walk around your home and see if you can feel any cold air slipping out through your windows and doors.
- Invest in a new thermostat. If you have an older, non-programmable thermostat, you should make the switch to a better thermostat can make a big difference. This is one of the most effective changes you can make to your home AC system work better, say experts at air conditioning companies. Most new thermostats can be accessed from remote locations so you can check on your home’s cooling system when you are at work or on vacation. You can set the unit to only cool your home when people will actually be there.
- Be careful with where you place your thermostat. Your thermostat monitors the temperature where it is located. That means if you put it in a very cold part of your home, your air conditioning will never kick on. Conversely, when you put it in a place that is in the sun, it may run all of the time. This will mean your home can get too cool and your bills will skyrocket. It is very easy to install a new thermostat. You do not need to bring in people who work for air conditioning companies to do it for you, though you can.
- Keep your curtains or blinds closed. One way to keep home cool is to keep out the hot rays from the sun. You can put better windows that keep out the sun or you can just keep your blinds and curtains closed during the day. This is a super easy way to keep your home cool and comfortable and your utility bills low.
- Put in fans and use them. One good way to keep your home cool, and take the pressure off of your air conditioner which can also reduce the number of air conditioning repairs you need, is to move air through your home with fans. A ceiling fan can lower the temperature of a room by about 10 degrees, according to research done by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC). This can also cut your energy usage by 10%. This is an easy way to keep your home comfortable.
- Set your thermostat at a higher temperature. One reason programmable thermostats are so good is they allow you to have the air conditioning unit only cool your home at certain parts of the day. There is a theory, used by many people, that it makes more sense to keep a home cool by never changing the setting on the thermostat but this is not true. Your best bet is to use your programmable thermostat to raise the temperature when no one is around and then turn it back down before people come home. Keeping your thermostat on a low temperature all of the time will do nothing but give you a very expensive utility bill.
Air conditioning companies say that these are things they recommend their customers do when they are looking to keep their homes cool and bills low.
