With the temperature rising during the hot summer months, you may find that your utility bills are as well. Optimizing energy is not only helpful for saving money, it is also environmentally beneficial! Whether you are here to save money or to be environmentally conscientious, we aim to give you the best tips for maximizing energy while beating the heat.
Energy-Saving Tips
1. Seal Doors or Windows and Look at Your Insulation
If you have a draft coming in through your doors or windows, it is best to replace the worn weather stripping. Drafts allow cool air to escape and hot air to enter your living space. Sealing these cracks can help you optimize the air conditioning in your home or keep the cooler air in. Insulation in your home is what keeps you cool in the summertime. When it is hot outside, home insulation slows down the heat coming into your home. Damaged insulation can cause cool air to escape from your walls and roof. Inspecting your ventilation can be a vital way to maximize your energy efficiency.
2. Take Advantage of Your Windows
If it becomes cooler at night, take advantage of it; open your windows and turn off your cooling system. When you wake up, close the windows and close the blinds you don’t need. If you want, you can invest in window coverings to reduce heat entering your home, while also providing you with natural sunlight.
3. Improve Ventilation in Your Attic
We all know that heat rises but without proper ventilation, heat can become trapped in your home. When you improve your attic ventilation, it allows the hot air to be released, thus keeping unnecessary heat out of your house. Improving attic ventilation can improve air conditioner efficiency by as much as ten percent.
4. Set Your Thermostat Efficiently
It is important to set your thermostat as high as you are comfortable with in the summer months. The smaller the difference is between the temperature of your home and the temperature outside, the lower your bill will be. If you are planning on going on vacation, keep your house warmer than you normally would. In the heat, it may be tempting to set the air conditioning temperature to a lower setting than usual but I would avoid doing this. Your house will not cool down any faster and you will be wasting energy and losing money.
5. Do not Contribute to the Heat with Appliances
A lot of people may be surprised when they find out how many appliances contribute to the building heat in their home. On those extremely hot days, try to avoid using the oven if you can. It would be best to use the stove top or microwave oven. You can even grill outside! Lighting can also contribute to the heat in your home. Installing lights that run cooler would be beneficial. If you need to wash dishes or clothes, it would be optimal to only wash when the dishwasher is full or you have a full load to wash for laundry. Side-note: when washing clothes, wash with cold water; it will contribute to your energy efficiency and your clothes will be just as clean! To avoid heat contribution, try to air dry both clothes and dishes.
6. Clean Your Air Conditioning Unit
A dirty air conditioning unit will not efficiently cool your home. To ensure your AC unit is not overworking itself and using even more energy than required, clean your AC unit and call someone to look at it if necessary.
We want you to be comfortable during the summertime without breaking your budget. If you end up needing a service provider to increase your energy efficiency, MüvzU will make it easy for you! Search “HVAC, Windows, Drywall and Insulation, etc.” near you to get in touch with someone fitting for the job. The goal of MüvzU is to connect people to local and trusted home service professionals in the most convenient way. Without giving out your personal information, MüvzU makes searching for professionals painless. Happy shopping!