5 Ways to Save Money on Your AC and Summer Energy Bill

The biggest levers on a summer cooling bill are your thermostat setting, the condition of your equipment, the state of your ducts, how you use fans, and how much sun gets into the house. Adjusting all five is free or inexpensive, and together they take a real load off an air conditioner in a place where summer heat lasts for months.

Raise the thermostat a little

The larger the gap between the temperature outside and your setting, the harder the system works. Raising the setpoint a few degrees when you are home and a few more when you are away eases that load. A programmable or smart thermostat can do this on a schedule so you do not have to think about it.

Resist the urge to drop the setting far below normal when you come home to a hot house. The air conditioner does not cool faster with a lower setting; it just runs longer.

Keep up with maintenance

A dirty filter, a dust-coated coil or worn electrical parts make the equipment work harder to deliver the same cooling. Change your filter regularly, keep the outdoor unit clear of debris, and have the system professionally checked before summer. Air-Tech's AT Advantage Program maintenance plans include two visits a year so that check happens on schedule.

Inspect your ducts

Cool air that leaks out of a duct in a hot attic never reaches the room you were trying to cool. Look for visible gaps, disconnected sections or missing insulation where ducts are accessible. If some rooms never seem to cool, or the system runs constantly, have a technician check the duct system. Sealing leaks is one of the more effective upgrades for an existing home.

Use fans wisely

Ceiling fans do not cool the air, they cool you by moving it across your skin, so turn them off when nobody is in the room. In summer, ceiling fans should spin counterclockwise to push air down. Fans let you set the thermostat a little higher and stay comfortable.

Kitchen and bath exhaust fans can also help clear heat and moisture, but run them only as long as needed since they pull conditioned air out of the house.

Block the sun

Sunlight through glass is a major source of indoor heat. Close blinds, shades or curtains on sun-facing windows during the day, particularly west-facing ones in the afternoon. Reflective window film, exterior shades and awnings help even more. Trees and shrubs planted to shade the house, and where suitable the outdoor unit, cut heat gain over time, provided you leave room around the unit for airflow.

A few smaller habits add up as well:

• Cook outdoors or in the evening to keep heat out of the house
• Run the dishwasher and dryer at night
• Swap old incandescent bulbs for cooler LEDs
• Seal gaps around doors and windows so cooled air stays in

Think about the house, not only the machine

Newer construction can help here too. Air-Tech installs AeroBarrier air sealing in new construction, which tightens the building envelope so less cooled air escapes and less hot air sneaks in. For an existing home, the same idea applies in a simpler form: caulk and weatherstrip the obvious gaps, add insulation to the attic if it is thin, and check that attic access hatches close tightly. Every bit of heat you keep outside is heat your air conditioner never has to remove.

If your system struggles despite all of this, the equipment itself may be worn or undersized. Air-Tech can look at what your air conditioner is doing and whether service, duct work or a replacement makes sense. The number to call is (509) 392-2021, and the shop on North Oregon Avenue in Pasco is ready to help.