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Central cooling systems can keep your home nice and cool, but your electricity bill will heat up. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your home cool without burning a huge hole in expenses because of a high energy bill.
For over 15 years, Monkey Wrench has helped hundreds of homeowners throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding areas save money by performing maintenance and repairs on their AC units. When it comes to summer savings and air conditioning systems, our technicians have seen a couple of tricks and tips to help homeowners save money.
Here are some tips for keeping your AC energy costs low during hot weather.
- Perform AC Maintenance and Tune-up
- Find and Seal all Drafts
- Open Windows at Night
- Use Blinds and Drapes to Block Sunlight
- Use Programmable Thermostat Controls
- Use Fans
In this article, we’ll review each of these tips in depth. By the end of this article, you will gain valuable knowledge about lowering AC energy costs so that you don’t have to sweat your air conditioner bill throughout the hot season.
Let’s get started!
How to Lower Your AC Electric Bills this Summer
Complete Pre-Summer AC Maintenance
Scheduling an AC tune-up before the start of the summer is one of the best ways to help alleviate costly energy bills. The services included in professional maintenance can help you find any underlying issues with your AC that are making it use more energy than needed. Even if there’s nothing wrong with your AC, a tune-up can help ensure that it maintains its energy efficiency during high usage hours and keep the manufacturer’s warranty active.
You can expect the following services with professional AC maintenance.
- Full thorough inspection of all AC components
- Energy efficiency testing
- Apply lubricant to the AC bearings
- Tighten any loose connections
- Check electrical wiring and amperage
- Inspect the condition of the ductwork
- Test airflow in all vents
- Check refrigerant levels
- Replace air filters
Because of the high demand for AC maintenance in the middle of the summer, the prices are higher. So, it’s best to schedule before the hot weather season starts to take advantage of the available savings.
Pre-summer AC maintenance will help keep your home cool without skyrocketing your energy bill. In addition to air conditioning system care, you can also better seal drafts.
Find and Seal all Drafts
Sealing any air that leaks is another cost-effective way to reduce air conditioning energy costs in hot weather. Cool air can leak through other openings even if your home’s windows are closed.
Air leakage can cause a home’s air conditioner to stay on longer to achieve a set temperature from the thermostat, resulting in higher energy usage. Weatherstripping and proper attic insulation are some of the best ways to prevent drafts and stop conditioned air from leaving your home.
According to the Department of Energy, there are several ways to find air leaks around your home. You can visually inspect the inside and outside of your home for any gaps or cracks that can cause air leaks and cover them with caulk.
It isn’t uncommon for some homes to run the AC all night to stay cool, but that can drive up energy costs. One solution involves keeping the windows open at night, which we will cover in the following section.
Open Windows at Nighttime
Keeping your windows open during summer nights is another way to lower your air conditioner energy bill. Nighttime natural ventilation can help lower your AC energy bill in the summer months by 10% to 30%, depending on your air conditioner usage.
Summer nights in Los Angeles have an average temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and aren’t too humid, ideal for natural ventilation at night. Windy nights can provide plenty of fresh air ventilated through the windows to help keep your bedroom from feeling like an oven.
Keeping your windows open at night is one of the least expensive methods of lowering your summer energy bill. Besides keeping your home cool, open nighttime ventilation increases air circulation, improving indoor air quality.
Opening windows at night can help alleviate your energy bill, but during the day, it’s a different story. Closing and covering your windows during the daytime can help ease the high cost of central AC energy usage.
Cover Windows During the Daytime
Blinds, shades, drapes, shutters, and applied film are all effective ways to keep the sun’s heat away and allow your central AC system to cool your home without drastically increasing monthly energy costs. According to the Department of Energy, about 76% of sunlight on the window can enter your home and become heat.
Depending on which window covering you get, you can reduce heat gain in your home by 30% to 60%. This reduction in heat can help your air conditioning system more efficiently meet your home’s cooling needs. The shade provided by the covers can prevent UV light from entering your home and protect you from the sun’s harmful rays.
Whether you open your windows at night or cover them during the day, you can supplement their energy-saving efficiency by running a fan.
Use Fans
Fans are a great way to reduce energy costs in the summer heat while keeping your home cool. Whether on the ceiling or the floor, fans can create cool drafts and circulate air in a room without needing a lot of electricity. When it comes to energy usage, fans use about 99% less electricity than central air conditioning systems.
Using a fan can complement other cooling methods, like keeping your window open at night or shaded off during the day. If your home has a ceiling fan running, you can raise your AC’s thermostat up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit without noticing a difference in cooling. This strategy can decrease the strain on your home’s central AC cooling efficiency.
With so many fans available, it’s best to look for those with an Energy Star label. Ceiling fans with this certification are up to 40% more energy efficient than other fans.
Set Programmable Thermostat Controls
Adjusting and programming your central air conditioning system’s thermostat can help you save money on your summer energy bill. Keeping your air conditioner on full blast at the lowest temperature will cause your AC to work harder and can drive up energy costs. It’s best to avoid keeping it at low settings for an extended time.
Researchers with the Department of Energy state that you may save up to 10% yearly on your energy bill. The smaller the temperature difference between the inside and outside of your home, the lower your AC energy bill can be.
A typical temperature to set your AC without worrying too much about your air conditioner bill is around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. This may seem warm for some people, but combining it with a ceiling fan and shading your windows will help keep your home cool without stressing your energy bill at the end of every summer month.
Ready to Save on Your AC Bill
With heatwaves becoming more frequent, people rely more than ever on their air conditioning systems. Yet, many homeowners in Los Angeles are trying to find ways to keep cool without spending too much on AC energy bills. Now that you’ve read some ways to keep your home cool without driving up energy costs too much, you can enter each summer knowing that you’re home won’t feel like a furnace and instead feel like a chilled-out paradise.
Our technicians are happy to share other ways to keep your home cool besides providing AC maintenance. At Monkey Wrench, we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding areas prepare for summer by performing AC tune-ups and offering expert advice.
If you’re looking to schedule an air conditioner tune-up, contact us using one of the buttons below. You can also book an appointment through our online HVAC scheduler.
One problem that can worsen summers is the need for more cool air. Learn more about this issue and other common problems with air conditioners to better prepare you for the unexpected.
