How To Keep Air Conditioning Bills Low This Summer

The summer season is full of outdoor activities, vacations, and family gatherings. With many plans and expenses on your schedule, the last thing you need to worry about is affording an expensive air conditioning bill. Home comfort should and can be affordable for homeowners who implement HVAC and home maintenance tasks throughout the season. In this article, we list tips to keep your energy bills low without sacrificing your comfort.

5 Tips To Lower Utility Bills In Oconee County

Many homeowners believe they have to adjust their temperature preferences and live uncomfortably to save on air conditioning bills, however, this is not the case. While adjusting your thermostat is the best and easiest way to lower AC energy costs, there are many other ways to help save and stay comfortable! The less energy your HVAC system uses, the more it will help monthly bills. Below we have listed five tips for homeowners to implement that lowers AC energy usage and helps keep your air conditioning costs to a minimum.

1. Practice Routine AC Maintenance

Regular air conditioning maintenance is the best way to keep your air conditioner functioning at peak performance and your energy costs low. We recommend scheduling maintenance once a year in the spring to ensure your air conditioner stays energy-efficient and avoids costly repairs. During annual AC maintenance in Bishop, GA, your Dream technician will check and handle all the following:

• Refrigerant leaks, level, and disposal
• Leakages in the ducts or internal air conditioner lines
• Cleaning your coils and making sure they work properly
• Ensuring all electronic components work as intended
• Cleaning and tightening electrical connections
• Lubricating moving parts
• Verifying the thermostat works

AC maintenance in Watkinsville, GA and surrounding areas helps your air conditioner use less energy to function, which saves on utility costs in the future.

Change Air Filters

Air filters keep the air you breathe at home clean by catching harmful pollutants. Over time, air filter debris can build up and the filter will need to be cleaned or replaced. If your air conditioning unit is operating with a dirty air filter, the AC uses more energy to push air through the clogged filter pores. The increased energy usage will reflect on AC costs, as well as potentially lead to costly AC repairs in Watkinsville, GA. We recommend replacing your air filter at least every 90 days to maintain good indoor air quality, airflow, and AC efficiency.

Coil Cleaning

Your air conditioner relies on its evaporator and condenser coils to function properly. While they perform different tasks, your AC unit can’t blow cold air without both sets working efficiently.

Over time, especially when an AC unit resides outside, these coils build up dust and dirt. When they’re caked with debris, they raise your energy bills by forcing your air conditioner to work harder to achieve the same results. Eventually, they can even freeze or cause more serious damage to your AC unit.

Keeping the coils clean ensures your unit can keep running at peak conditions. You can use a hose and light cleaning solution to wash them. However, when you hire a professional for maintenance or upkeep, you won’t risk causing further damage to your unit.

2. Utilize The Best Thermostat Options

As we have mentioned, adjusting your thermostat is an easy and effective way to lower utility bills. The closer your thermostat setting is to the outdoor temperature, the more you will save. However, we would never suggest you sacrifice your comfort. We recommend altering your home’s temperature while you are away and asleep. Regular thermostats get the job done, however, it can be tedious and forgetful to remember to adjust the thermostat as you are leaving for work in the morning or going to bed at night.

Programmable and smart thermostats are a great option if you consider upgrading your thermostat. Programmable thermostats operate on a pre-programmed schedule to adjust your home’s temperature at specific times. Additionally, you can automatically turn off your air conditioner or adjust your thermostat when you’re not home with a smartphone. You can even tell it to start cooling the air a half hour before you arrive. This means you save money by shutting down your AC unit when you’re not around but can still return to comfort.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, homeowners can save up to 10% a year by adjusting their thermostat 7-10 degrees for 8 hours a day.

3. Seal & Insulate

One of the main reasons homeowners struggle with high air conditioning costs is because air is leaking from their home through cracks and little insulation. Insulation provides great support for keeping your home cool, comfortable, and energy-efficient. It helps your home retain cool air longer, which decreases the workload of your air conditioner.

Cool air could be escaping through cracks in your windows and doors, and we recommend homeowners take action to seal the air leaks. An easy and low cost way to seal cracks in your home is by caulking and weather stripping.

4. Utilize Fans

One brilliant way to keep air conditioning bills low this summer is by utilizing fans as alternate ways of cooling off. Our bodies can cool off naturally using evaporation, and fans enhance this effect by circulating air.

While fans do not alter a room’s temperature, they provide a cool breeze and make the room feel cooler. We recommend homeowners utilize standing and ceiling fans when they are in a room to help provide cool comfort. By using fans, homeowners can adjust their thermostat setting without feeling a comfort difference.

5. Block Sunlight

Sunlight is a major source of heat in your home, so if you block it from entering through your windows, you can reduce your heat gain and lower AC energy usage. We understand opening blinds and curtains provides daylight, but it could be heating up your home and raising your utility bills. We recommend keeping blinds and curtains closed throughout the day.

Call Dream Heating And Cooling For AC Services In Athens, GA!

Now that you know how to keep air conditioning bills low this summer, you can experience the perfect mix of comfort and affordability this season. The Dream Heating and Cooling team provides a variety of AC services to help maintain your summer comfort. For AC repair in Bishop, GA, as well as AC maintenance and replacement, give our technicians a call!