It’s great to kick back and relax, isn’t it? Especially on a warm, sultry summer day when you don’t have anything important to do, or anywhere special to be.
Well, one of the things that our customers find especially relaxing is not paying too much to cool their homes. Here are just a few of the ways they manage to keep their electricity bills under control, and now, so can you:
- Give it a whirl. One way to cool your home for less is with one or more ceiling fans that rotate in both directions. That way, during the warm weather months, the fan will push the cool air back down, thus enabling you to feel as cool as you like at higher-than-normal thermostat settings.
- Block that sun. Let’s say, for example, that your house has an east and west exposure. In the morning, you’ll want to keep your shades and curtains drawn to prevent your house from over-heating. Shortly after the noon hour, you can open them back up while you shut things down on the west side of your home. Blocking direct exposure from the sun also helps protect you from harmful UV rays.
- Raise that thermostat. If you have an older AC system, over time it’s definitely going to cost you more to cool your home off to the same temperature settings you’ve been used to year after year. Keep in mind that the average life expectancy of an AC system is 10-12 years, and that they gradually lose energy efficiency over the years, even with the best of annual care and maintenance.
- Trim those shrubs. Your outside condensing unit needs plenty of space to vent heat. So if you have grass and/or shrubbery that’s growing out of control and blocking that flow of heat, your system will have to work that much harder to keep you cool.
- Change that filter. Your AC filter should be cleaned or replaced every thirty days to remove dust and other debris that will otherwise block the flow of cool air into your ducts and, eventually, your home.
- Inspect those ducts. Even a small crack or leak inside your ductwork can be sending generous amounts of cool air where it isn’t needed: namely, inside your attic. So it’s a good idea to inspect them periodically for even tiny cracks or leaks that can and should be repaired.
Also, when was the last time you had your AC system professionally cleaned and inspected? If it’s been a year or more, don’t waste another minute before contacting Baylor Heating & Air for prompt and dependable results. The kind of thorough annual preventative maintenance we’re known for can shave your monthly cooling costs by up to 30%. And that’s about as relaxing a feeling as you can get.
