How to Avoid Wasting Money on Cooling Costs This Summer

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t look forward to summer’s triumphant return. Given the nightmarish winter many parts of the country endured this year, summertime’s arrival is more hotly anticipated than ever. However, if there’s one thing homeowners don’t love about summertime, it’s the exorbitant cooling costs. If you live in an area with severe summer weather, maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home is liable to be a costly undertaking. Although there’s no way to eliminate home cooling costs outright, there are several simple ways to make them more manageable.

Properly Maintain Your AC

If you consistently place AC maintenance on the backburner, there’s a good chance your central air conditioning unit is consuming more power than necessary. Not only does this needlessly increase your household’s carbon footprint, it also stands to add quite a bit to your summertime power bills. With this in mind, make a point of having your AC inspected and serviced at least once a year. This will help ensure that the device’s core components remain in peak condition and that any potential problems are dealt with before they have a chance to become larger issues. Furthermore, any time your AC begins exhibiting small problems, call in a seasoned pro instead of adopting a “wait and see” approach. Dealing with small problems immediately may entail spending a little bit of money, but dragging your feet may ultimately cost you a princely sum.

If you use window units instead of central AC, take care to clean these devices on a regular basis and change their filters as needed. Additionally, since most of these units have projected lifespans of 8-10 years, don’t hold on to air conditioners that are well past their prime. In addition to consuming a fair amount of power, outdated units are unlikely to provide sufficient cooling.

Avoid Daytime Heat Buildup

By taking measures to prevent your home from becoming excessively hot during the day, you can set the stage for long-term summertime comfort. For starters, while the sun can serve as a natural light source, its powerful rays stand to increase the temperature of your home. This is particularly true for homes that are located in areas that receive a significant amount of sunlight. You can stay on top of this by hanging specially-designed sun-blocking curtains and/or outfitting your windows with convenient blackout screens.

Another way to prevent heat buildup is to abstain from using your oven during daylight hours. Summertime oven use can make both your kitchen and other areas of your residence uncomfortably warm, so if you absolutely must use your oven during the day, make sure to do so sparingly. If you don’t feel like waiting until the sun goes down to prepare dinner, consider becoming better acquainted with your grill – or investing in a brand-new one. You may be surprised to discover that a lot of tasty meals can be prepared without the aid of an oven.

Get the Most Out of Your Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are arguably the best cooling aids for cost-conscious households. In addition to working in tandem with your air conditioning, ceiling fans can help circulate naturally cool air from outside during the overnight hours. If temps in your area undergo a noticeable drop once the sun sets, opening your windows and allowing your fans to distribute the outdoor air throughout your home will enable you to shut off your AC overnight, which is sure to be a boon to your energy costs.

In order to enjoy the full benefits of strategically-placed ceiling fans, you’ll need to be discerning when searching for the right ones. Anyone looking to purchase rustic ceiling fans should keep an eye out for models that offer user-friendliness, manufacturer guarantees and a variety of rotation speeds.

For many homeowners, summer is marred by unreasonable cooling costs. It’s hard to get excited for everyone’s favorite season when you’re paying an arm and leg just to keep your residence comfortably cool. The hotter your locale, the higher your power bills are likely to be – due largely in part to the high cost of running your AC around the clock. Fortunately, maintaining a refreshing indoor temp without spending a fortune doesn’t have to be challenging or inconvenient. Taking the measures discussed above can set the stage for a comfortable – and cost-conscious – summer season.

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