Want to save money and energy and still cool your home? Although running your air conditioner around the clock may seem like the best way to combat high summer temperatures, there are several economical solutions that can help reduce energy costs while taking some of the load off your A/C.
Energy-efficient doors and windows
It seems obvious, but a substantial amount of indoor air can escape through most doors and windows. But it’s not just when they are open. Cool inside air can escape and hot outside air can enter regularly when poor quality doors and windows are closed.
Needless to say, the more cool air that escapes your home, the harder your A/C has to work to replace it, and the more money you waste.
You can save yourself a substantial sum in utility costs by upgrading to energy-efficient doors and windows. They’re composed of thicker materials than standard doors and windows with more panes of glass, ensuring that they’re well-equipped to minimize the amount of indoor air that escapes and the amount of outdoor air that enters your home.
While they come with higher price tags than regular doors and windows, the long-term savings they help facilitate should prove well worth the short-term financial setback.
MORE: Choosing replacement windows wisely
Commit to proper A/C maintenance
An air conditioning system that is consistently pushed to its limits is liable to have a larger environmental impact than one that operates at peak efficiency. As such, it’s in your best interest to keep your home’s A/C system in top condition for as long as possible.
This is where regular maintenance enters the equation. Committing to annual maintenance visits will help ensure your system remains clean, efficient and free of defects.
A seasoned heating and cooling technician will be able to swap out worn-down components, clean the system and identify a host of emerging issues. Although a yearly maintenance visit will cost a bit of money, parting with a small sum is certainly preferable to shelling out a fortune for heavy-duty repairs or replacing your system well before its projected lifespan has ended.
Hang blackout curtains
During its peak hours, the sun can add quite a bit of warmth to your home — particularly if you invite it to do so by leaving your curtains open. Not only should you keep your curtains closed on hot days, you should also replace your current window dressings with blackout curtains.
As the name suggests, these curtains are composed of thick thermal materials and designed to minimize the amount of outside light that’s able to find its way into homes. As a bonus, some varieties of blackout curtain can help seal in cool air and prevent warm air from entering.
Install ceiling fans
Dependable ceiling fans will make a welcome addition to any eco-conscious home. In addition to efficiently circulating cool air, ceiling fans whose blades have been adjusted to spin the correct way can produce downward-flowing cool breezes to help you feel cooler.
A high-quality ceiling fan is affordable on even the tightest of budgets. For maximum effectiveness, make sure every area of your home is equipped with a reliable fan.
As any homeowner can attest, cooling costs can be a tough nut to crack. In addition to increasing your monthly utility bills, running your air conditioning 24 hours a day with no other strategies is a waste.
While there’s no denying A/C is a highly effective tool, it’s far from the only thing that can facilitate consistent home cooling. Not only are certain A/C alternatives better for the environment, they’re also easier on one’s finances.
