Sweet summertime brings the the funnest and hottest days of the year. Alas, summer also brings the most expensive home cooling days of the year.
Keeping your family and pets cool during the sizzling summer heat can be an expensive endeavor.
United States Department of Energy statistics show that heating and cooling costs account for about 48 percent of the energy use in the typical American home. Thesimpledollar.com estimates the average American energy bill is $3,477 annually.
To keep your home energy costs from soaring like the thermostat this summer, we recommend these proven summer home energy savings tips:
- Set your air conditioner thermostat as high as comfortable: 78 degrees fahrenheit when you’re home and 85 degrees when you’re gone. Installing a programmable thermostat can be a home energy saving MVP.
- Minimize indoor heat. Run major appliances like the dryer and dishwasher at night on hot days and let your dishes air dry. Avoid running major appliances between 2 and 8 p.m.
- Have your central air conditioner tuned up and clean or replace filters monthly for efficient use.
- Wash clothes in cold water and clean the lint filter in the dryer after every use.
- Set your water heater to 120 degrees.
- Unplug appliances and electronics when not in use. Utilize power strips for home electronics like TVs, DVD players and computers. Turn off power strips when the equipment is not in use.
- Air seal your home. Determine where hot and cold air are penetrating your home and eliminate the leaks. You can see the savings as soon as the next month’s energy bill.
- Remember the power of fresh air: Open your windows and use natural cooling methods whenever possible.
- If possible, remove or deactivate extra freezers or refrigerators in the summer. Some American communities offer free refrigerator recycling.
- For pools, reduce pool filtration time by 30-minute increments daily. Continue to reduce the time as long as the water appears clean. Many home pool filters need to be run only six hours a day. Utilize a timer to control the length of time the pool pump cycles on.
Don’t forget the first rule of energy savings this summer: If you’re not in the room, turn off the lights. For when it comes to beating the summer home energy cooling cost blues, efficiency is the key.
