4 Keys To Reducing Your AC Consumption

Summertime means hotter temperatures and the urge to run the air conditioner non-stop. Here are 4 key tips that will help to ease the burden on your home's air conditioner, and add up to at a great savings on your energy bill.

1. Keep The Curtains Closed

Natural light can help reduce your lighting costs, however when no one is in a room it is best to keep the curtains closed during the day. This is especially true for houses with windows on the eastern and western sides. Keeping the sun's direct rays from entering the house helps reduce the amount of effort your air conditioner uses to keep the house cool. To maximize this, open the drapes, blinds, or curtains in the evening to allow heat to escape through the windows of your house.

2. Turn On a Fan

In some climates, you can turn the air conditioner off at night and just let ceiling or floor fans provide cool air for your comfort. The energy used by a fan is far less than that of the air conditioner. Fans can also help move cool air around the house to ease the work load of the air conditioner.

3. Get Rid of Hot Air

Use an exhaust fan when cooking to help expel hot air from the house. If you don't have an exhaust fan, cool the room by setting up a floor fan in the kitchen while cooking. The fan not only cools the air, but can also help move it out of the kitchen.

4. Keep Your Air Conditioner Out of the Sun

The ideal location for a central air conditioning unit is on the north side of a house. While this may not be practical in every case, the general idea of keeping the unit out of the sun can be achieved in other ways. Landscaping does more than make your yard look nice. By planting shrubs or trees around your air conditioning unit, you can help it cool your home more efficiently. The shade from this landscaping can also be used to keep the sun's direct rays off your home!