How to Save Money on Your Air Conditioning Bills
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How to Save Money on Your Air Conditioning Bills
Summer 2024 is proving to be a hot one for millions of Americans. We want to breakdown how to keep your home cool while managing electric bills.
Here’s what you can do right now to save money on your air conditioning bills.
1. Regular Maintenance
Regular maintenance is crucial for keeping your air conditioning system running efficiently and saving money on energy bills.
Change Your Filters Regularly
We like to emphasize the importance of changing your air filters regularly, ideally once a month, or as recommended by the manufacturer. Clean filters ensure your system runs smoothly and uses less energy.
Clean the Condenser Coil
After mowing your lawn, grass clippings and debris can clog the condenser coil, reducing its efficiency. We highly suggest using a water hose to wash off the coil when this happens. This simple task can significantly improve your air conditioner’s performance on hot days.
Call for Maintenance
Professional HVAC maintenance technicians can clean your condenser, check pressures and find issues before they turn into a system failure.
“If your AC is looking like this, it’s probably why it ain’t cooling.
It’s all bad.”
2. Optimal Thermostat Settings
Adjusting your thermostat settings can make a big difference in your energy bills.
Increase the Temperature When Not Home
We advise against turning off your air conditioner entirely when you leave the house. Instead, raise the temperature by a few degrees. This way, the air conditioner won’t have to work as hard to cool your home when you return, saving energy in the long run.
Consistent Temperature
Keeping a consistent temperature helps avoid the extra energy required to cool your home down from a higher temperature. We see many customers set their thermostats anywhere between 68 to 78 degrees, depending on their comfort level.
“The pros of a basic thermostat like I have at home is you just set it and you forget about it. There’s no frills to go along with it. Wherever you set it, it’s going to stay unless you have an issue.
The cons of that is you don’t have, like myself at home, I would like to wake up with it at 68°, but then it to heat up at 70°. But I have to go manually do that every morning and risk waking everybody up walking through the hallway.
With a smart thermostat, I could sleep at 65° overnight and I could have it heat up to 70° at about 6:00 a.m., and by the time everybody else is getting up and around, it would be nice and warm for them.
A lot of homeowners will ask if a smart thermostat can help with their utility bills. It can help. I know for me, you don’t want a big swing in your temperature. You don’t want to set it down to 62° and then expect it to catch up to 70° when you want it to be warm and let that be efficient because you’re going to have such a long run time.”
3. Using Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can help circulate cool air, making your home feel more comfortable without cranking up the AC, thus saving you money on your AC bills.
Adjust Fan Direction
In the summer, make sure your ceiling fans are rotating counterclockwise to create a wind-chill effect. Moving air around helps keep you cool, reducing the need for lower thermostat settings.
4. Managing Sunlight Saves on Air Conditioning Bills
Sunlight streaming through windows can significantly increase indoor temperatures.
Close Blinds and Curtains
We recommend closing blinds or curtains during the hottest parts of the day, especially on windows facing the west. This simple action can block out heat and reduce the workload on your air conditioner, and save you some money on your AC bills.
5. Additional Savings Tips
Here are a few more practical tips to help keep your home cool and energy bills low.
Seal Gaps and Cracks
Make sure your home is properly insulated by sealing any gaps or cracks around windows and doors. This prevents cool air from escaping and hot air from entering.
Use Energy-Efficient Lighting and Appliances
Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances, which generate less heat and reduce the overall cooling load on your air conditioner.
“Question: What is the optimal run / rest percentage for an AC unit?
This is a really interesting question, but the short answer is it depends. Your unit should run all day long on the hottest day of the year. So, if it’s the hottest day of the year and your unit is cycling on and off, there’s a good chance it’s oversized.”
6. Emergency Tips
If your air conditioner breaks down during a heatwave, here are some quick, budget-friendly ways to stay cool.
Open Windows for Cross Ventilation
Create a cross breeze by opening windows on opposite sides of your home. This can help cool down your living space naturally.
Cook Outside
Using your stove or oven can add unwanted heat to your home. Grilling outside can keep your indoor temperatures down.
Conclusion: How to Save Money on Your Air Conditioning Bills?
Implementing these tips can help you save money on your air conditioning bills while staying comfortable during the hottest days of the year. Regular maintenance, optimal thermostat settings, using ceiling fans, managing sunlight, and additional energy-saving measures can all contribute to lower energy costs.
To Save Money on Your Air Conditioning Bills
For professional HVAC maintenance and services, contact Yarbrough & Sons Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. Our experienced team is here to help you stay cool and save money all summer long.
“They’ve got technology now to where a variable capacity, whenever the compressor first comes on, it may come on at 30%. So, it’ll come on at 30% of the capacity and, of course, the amp draw is lower, which means a lower electricity bill if it can cool your house to a temperature that satisfies you that way.
Then, as the outside temperature goes up, it will go in 1% increments all the way up to 100%. So, as it comes on at 30% and needs a little bit more cooling, then it’ll go 31%, 32%, 33%, and it’ll just slowly increment its way up to 100% capacity if it’s needed.
That’s kind of what the variable capacity system does.”
About Yarbrough & Sons Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
Since 1988, Yarbrough & Sons has been serving Oklahoma City with top-notch home comfort solutions. With over 450 years of combined experience, our family-owned business is committed to quality, comfort, and community care. Trust us for all your HVAC needs.
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