According to the U.S department of energy, over 43% of household energy bills got to heating and air conditioning. The cool thing is that you don’t have to incur these high bills every month. Here are tips on how to reduce your AC energy bills.
Regular maintenance
There is no way your air conditioner will be efficient if there are any malfunctioning parts. To ensure that the air conditioner is always on top form, you should hire an AC repair professional to regularly maintain your unit.
In addition to regular maintenance, you should also adjust the temperature when you are away or sleeping. Experts say that you save up to 15% of your energy bills when you adjust the temperature.
Plant trees
If you can, you should plant trees around the exterior of your home. Trees tend to block direct sunlight thus decreasing the amount of heat that is exposed to your home. This ensures that the AC doesn’t work much.
Metal screens
Studies have shown that mesh or metal screens over the windows tend to absorb up to 70% of solar energy. This greatly reduces the amount of heat that enters your home. For ideal results, you should place the screens on both the east and west facing windows.
Open the basement
The basement is usually the coldest room in the house; therefore, if it’s hot outside, you should camp in the basement and avoid using the air conditioner. Although, this tip is great, you should avoid it if you live in a humid area as opening the basement you will most likely invite more heat into your home.
Clean the air filter
In addition to undertaking regular air conditioner maintenance, you should regularly clean the air filter. The cool thing with it is that you can easily clean the air filter on your own. If you aren’t confident in your skills or you don’t have time to do it, you should hire an AC contractor to clean it for you. Cleaning the air filter increases the efficiency of the air conditioner which saves your energy bills.
Conclusion
A fully functional air conditioner is important in a home; however, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fresh air. As mentioned, you should hire a HVAC contractor to regularly maintain your air conditioner. Regular maintenance will not only lower your energy bills, it will also save you high air conditioner repair costs.
