Air conditioners are a blessing throughout a hot summer, but running costs can escalate quickly. Follow these tips to save energy and reduce your cooling costs:

Using Your Air Conditioner Thermostat Efficiently

It is important to use the thermostat on your air conditioner correctly to avoid wasting energy and money.

• Set the thermostat on your air conditioner to the highest comfortable temperature. The less difference between the inside and outside temperatures, the less energy will be used.
• When turning on your air conditioner, setting the thermostat colder than you desire will not make the air conditioner cool any faster. In fact, you might use unnecessary energy and waste money if your house over cools.
• Program the thermostat to to a higher temperature when you are not at home.
• Avoid positioning electrical appliances such as TVs and lamps near the air-conditioning thermostat as these appliances release heat and this may cause the thermostat to misread the room temperature.

Using Fans Efficiently

Household fans also play a role in cooling your home; follow these simple tips:

• Use a ceiling fan to reduce cooling costs. A ceiling fan creates a breeze effect on your skin cooling you down. This will allow you to increase the thermostat on your air conditioner by 1.8 degrees without you feeling any warmer. The savings from your air conditioner will more than compensate for the minimal cost of running a ceiling fan.
• Set the ceiling fan to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction for a summertime breeze. Turn fans off in empty rooms, as a fan cools people by creating a breeze, but does not cool a room.
• Use the ventilation fans in kitchens, bathrooms and laundries when you use these areas. This will reduce heat and humidity in your home.

Using Electrical Appliances In Hot Weather

Even common household appliances add heat to your home, so use them sparingly when the weather warms up. For example:

• Avoid cooking with the oven on hot days; use a grill or microwave instead.
• Take a short shower instead of a bath.
• Use daylight (though avoiding direct sunlight) rather than electric lights.
• Consider running the washing machine and dishwasher in the cooler evening hours with full loads.
• Try to limit the usage of electronics. Appliances such as televisions, computers and hair-dryers release heat into the air warming up your home.
• Adopt energy efficient light bulbs which use less energy to produce light. Traditional incandescent bulbs expend 90 percent of their energy as heat rather than light, thus wasting energy and money.

Using Doors, Windows And Your Roof

Follow these tips on using windows and doors efficiently in hot weather.

• Cover your windows to block sunlight with exterior awnings, roller blinds or shutters, or with interior blinds and curtains.
• Seal any doors and windows that allow both cool air out and warm air in.
• Open doors and windows on cool evenings, and turn off the air-conditioning.
• If painting or replacing your roof, use a light colour to reflect rather than absorb heat.

By following some of these handy tips you will not only save money, but will help shape a sustainable planet by expending less energy. For more information, contact a company like Air-Care.