Summer is a time for relaxing by the pool and enjoying time with friends and family. But these warmer months also mean higher energy bills, as you turn on your air conditioning more often.
Here are some tips to help you conserve energy this summer:
Use a programmable thermostat. Set it so that your home stays cooler during the day when no one’s there and turns up at night when everyone’s in bed. This can cut down on your energy bill by up to 10 percent.
Seal off any gaps around doors and windows with weather stripping or caulk. This will keep warm air from escaping during winter months and cool air from entering during summer months.
Install ceiling fans in every room of your house — they use much less electricity than an air conditioner, which means lower bills for you! If you have an attic fan, make sure it’s turned off when temps rise above 80 degrees outside — it’s only supposed to be used in colder weather so it doesn’t pull warm air into your home from above (which could cause mold growth).
Turn off appliances when they’re not in use. If your television is off, it’s wasting electricity. Same with computers, printers and other electronics — turn them off at night when you’re not using them.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). Compact fluorescents use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer — so they’ll save you money over time.
Use power strips on your entertainment center or entertainment stand in order to make it easy to turn off all the electronics at once. This helps reduce phantom loads that occur when devices are left plugged in but not being used — phantom loads account for about 5 percent of residential electricity use each year!
