Save money on your energy bills this summer by using these helpful tips. Adding attic insulation in your attic, upgrading an old HVAC unit or replacing your old single pane windows are always great improvements to reduce your home energy bils this summer. There are also a lot of things you can do without making a big investment. The following tips will help keep your home cooler this summer and reduce how much money you spend on your homes’ energy.
1. Keep your curtains and blinds fully closed on the sunny side of the home.
2. Minimize door traffic to the outside.
3. Ceiling fans and other air circulating fans can improve your comfort.
4. Postpone unnecessary lighting, ironing or baking or running the clothes dryer.
5. LED light bulbs use much less electricity and produce much less heat than standard incandescent lights.
6. Clean your air filters monthly. Dirt and dust hinder air flow, reducing efficiency.
7. BBQ more this summer. Grilling outside wont add heat inside like a stove.
8. Take advantage of free solar power- hang your clothes out to dry.
9. Look around your exterior doors and windows. If the weather stripping has flattened or the caulk is cracked, it needs to be replaced.
10. Set your thermostat to 78 degrees during these hot months. For every degree lower than 78, you can expect your energy bill to increase three to five percent.
11. Reduce the operating time of your pool filter and automatic cleaning sweep to fourto five hours, and only during off-peak time.
12. When possible, delay chores that produce heat such as dishwashing, and laundering until cooler times of the day or night.
13. Fill up the fridge. Having lots of food in your fridge keeps it from warming up too fast when the door is open. Then it doesn’t have to work as hard to stay cool.
14. Turn off lights when not needed.
15. Make sure that connections at vents and registers are well-sealed where they meet floors, walls and ceilings. These are common locations to find leaks and disconnected ductwork.
16. Use the bathroom fan to remove the heat and humidity from your home after showering or bathing. Make sure bathroom and kitchen fans are vented to the outside and not just to the attic.
17. Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they aren’t in use. Most new electronics use electricity even when switched off.
18. Turn computers and printers off at the power strip.
19. Clean the lint from the clothes dryer after every load. Run full loads and use the moisture-sensing setting.
20. Remember to have your HVAC system serviced annually to ensure it’s running at optimum efficiency.
21. Install a door sweep on your garage door to seal the gap between the bottom of your door and the threshold. This prevents warm air from coming in and cool air from escaping.
22. Clean the refrigerator coil with a soft broom or vacuum. The refrigerator coil is usually at the bottom or the rear of the refrigerator.
23. Turn your water heater to a lower setting and install an insulated “blanket” around your water heater.
24. Use a programmable thermostat with your air conditioner to adjust the setting at night or when no one is home.
25. Maximize the extended sunlight in the summer. Don’t turn on lights until it gets dark around 8pm (depending on where you live in the world).
26. Cook with toaster oven or microwave. They use a fraction of the energy a full-size stove does and emit less heat.
27. Check out solar control window film. It’s very inexpensive and it goes directly on your glass and reduces heat transfer.
28. Wear less clothing in the summer so you can keep your thermostat set a degree or two higher, and make sure the clothing you do wear is lighter in color to reflect some of the sun’s rays.
29. Get the kids involved. Play energy-saving games with your kids. Get them to spot the areas in the home where energy is being wasted and where lights, switches or appliances have been left on.
30. Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. If you have central air conditioning, close off vents to unused rooms. Keep filters clean.
We’ve all been waiting for the summer to come, and now that it’s here we hope you enjoy it! Be sure to make the most of your summer and limit what you are spending on energy bills by keeping these tips in mind. For a free Energy check-up of your home visit us at aladdinhomepros.com of directly at 678-528-7115.