Money Saving Tips - Air Conditioning & Heating
Air Conditioning
Air conditioning can represent 16% of the total electricity, up to 60-70% in hot areas during the summer months. Here are a few key tips for decreasing your energy costs when using Air-Conditioning.
- Use a programmable thermostat with built in timer, if you have a window unit, use a plug-in timer. Have the AC switch of when you leave and come back on about half an hour before you return home
- Raise the Temperature slightly; every degree below 78 increases your energy consumption by 3-4%
- Don't Use AC, this can be difficult in hot climates,but try using less.
- Don't cool the whole house at night, how about just the bed! Here are two really cool products that will keep your AC off and you cool in bed!
http://www.smarthome.com/3203.html
http://www.secure-bedfan.com
- Don't Cool Rooms you're not Using
- Clean the filter - A dirty filter makes your AC work harder. Buy permanent filters from your local home improvement store and was clean with a hose.
- Consider an evaporative cooler instead of Air Conditioning, it uses less electricity but does not work in areas of high humidity
- Install a geothermal Heat-pump; They are more expensive to install but this premium can be recovered within only a few years. Heat pumps have many advantages, low maintenance, high reliability and longevity. Many City and state governments offer rebates and other incentives. One word of warning - Installation Costs can very substantially depending on the geology of the area and availability of suitable contractors.
http://www.geoexchange.org/pdf/GB-029.pdf
http://www.heatexchange.org
- Use Ceiling fans - they make the temperature feel about 10 degrees cooler, reducing your AC requirements. These fans use little energy and are not expensive
- Insulate the attic
- Seal windows and Doors carefully
- Plant Shade Trees
- Install reflective film on windows - these reflect heat away without substantially reducing the light
- Dark Colors retain heat - Paint your house in a light color next time and save 20% on cooling costs.
- Installing Storm windows can reduce the amount of heating or cooling through a single pane by as much as 50%
- Reduce internally generated heat from lights and cookers. Use compact flourescent(CFL) bulbs which use 70% less energy, create 70-90% less heat and last many more times than ordinary tungsten bulbs.
Heating
- Use a modern cheap efficient heating system
- Heat only the parts of your home that you are using
- Insulate and seal your home well
- If you have ceiling fans for cooling, switch them on low to gently push warm air back down into the living space
- Put an extra layer of clothing on
- Switch heating off at night
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