Easy Ways to Cut Cooling Costs This Summer
Just a few months ago, you were convinced that winter would never come to an end. After weeks upon weeks of shoveling mounds of snow, navigating icy roadways and struggling to stay warm, you had essentially given up all hope of spring making its arrival. Fortunately, as is the case every year, your worries were unfounded. With spring once again in full swing, this year’s devastating winter is quickly becoming a distant memory.
However, with the passing of winter, you’ll soon be faced with a whole new set of challenges. Now that summer is right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how to keep your home evenly cooled. After all, being trapped in the throes of a balmy summer can be every bit as uncomfortable as shivering your way through a frosty winter. Unfortunately, around-the-clock home cooling can be rather costly. Considering how much money you spent keeping your residence heated throughout the winter, the last thing you need is another enormous months-long expense. If you want to beat the summertime heat without breaking the bank, consider the following tips.
Have Your Central AC Unit Regularly Serviced
Since a functional central air conditioner is your home’s most valuable ally in the battle against extreme heat, it’s important to keep your AC unit in prime condition. When central air conditioners become dirty or clogged or are forced to operate with worn-out parts, they have to work a lot harder to evenly cool homes. This subsequently gives way to increased power bills. Luckily, you can avoid such headaches by having your home’s central air conditioner serviced at the beginning of every summer. Trained heating and cooling professionals will thoroughly clean the device’s interior and replace faulty parts accordingly, thus saving you time and money.
Install Ceiling Fans
As convenient as central AC units are, it’s neither cost effective or energy efficient to keep them running around the clock. Although running your central air conditioner during the daylight hours is often necessary, there’s generally no need to leave it on throughout the night. After the sun goes down, the temperatures in many parts of the country drop significantly. Furthermore, your home is already filled with cool air at this point. To take advantage of the natural drop in temperature, simply install ceiling fans in your home’s bedrooms and common areas. Once the sun sets for the day, turn off the AC, open the windows and turn on your ceiling fans. This will enable you to save money and sleep comfortably.
Hang Blackout Curtains
Allowing natural sunlight to brighten up your home can be a convenient alternative to constantly leaving your lights on. However, throughout the summer months, this can be a double-edged sword. While the sunlight is nice, the sheer intensity with which it burns stands to make your home uncomfortably warm. Equipping certain windows with blackout curtains will effectively prevent extreme sunlight and intensified UV rays from finding their way into your residence.
Summer is the season of backyard barbecues, visits to the beach and fun-filled pool parties. Unfortunately, there’s one enormous caveat to this highly anticipated season – the relentless heat. Coupled with exorbitant home cooling bills, extreme heat stands to inconvenience even the most ardent summer enthusiast. Luckily, by taking a few simple measures to reduce your air conditioning bills, you can keep your home cool and comfy without spending a bundle.
About the Author: Gavin Andrews is a pharmaceutical technician who resides with his family in Greensboro, North Carolina. In order to keep his home evenly cooled throughout the summer, Gavin regularly has his central air conditioner serviced by the seasoned pros from Kay Heating and Air Conditioning. You can learn more about Greensboro’s foremost name in heating and cooling by visiting KayHeating.com.