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Summertime in the Midwest - it seems like we wait nine months for it to come and it’s gone as quick as it got here. Everyone will remember the beautiful nights, bonfires, grilling and swimming. What we don’t want you to remember is the soaring electric bills from your air conditioner.  Follow these 8 eight tips on how to efficiently use your air conditioner and stay cool during the hot and humid days ahead.
1. Turn your air conditioner off when you leave the house. An air conditioner runs more effectively when it’s running at full speed rather than off and on throughout the day. For this reason, it’s best practice to turn your air conditioner off when you leave the house. We know, it’s tough to walk into a house that’s 85 degrees after a long day of work. The alternative though is paying through the roof to cool a home no one is occupying all day. Added Bonus: Air conditioners also dehumidify your home more efficiently when they’re running full blast. 2. Open windows at night when possible While not every night will be cool enough to turn off the A/C, it does help to give your air conditioning some rest periodically. Investing in a box-fan to put in a window at night to keep air circulating is a good way to reduce energy costs while still staying cool. 3. Consider making your house a bit smarter. A programmable thermostat gives you the ability to program a week’s worth of data to control the climate of your house. Programmable thermostats take the hassle out of remembering to turn up/off your air conditioner while you’re gone or at night, and even allows you to let your air kick in 15 minutes before you return home! With their boost in popularity in recent years, the cost of a programmable thermostat is very reasonable, and will actually save money in the long term. 4. Pick the right sized Air Conditioner To effectively and efficiently cool your home, it’s important to make sure your A/C is the correct size for your space. An oversized air conditioner has too short of cooling and heating cycles. By making your unit frequently switch on and off, energy drains and costs add up. On the other hand, an A/C unit that’s too small will work way to hard to cool down your entire home. If your unit is constantly running, you’ll notice the spike in cost on your next energy bill as well. 5. Keep your cool air in the right spots Close your doors to make sure your cool air doesn’t escape to rooms that aren’t occupied. Closing the vents in those rooms will also make sure you don’t waste your energy. There’s no need to spend money cooling the air outside either. Double check the windows in your home to make sure cool air doesn’t escape. 6. Use ceiling and box fans in unison. To spread the cold air throughout your home, make use of ceiling fans and box fans. This trick will cool down a room quicker than just letting your air conditioning unit do all the work. 7. Keep up with proper A/C Maintenance Air conditioners can benefit from some basic maintenance every now and then. Making sure that no debris, leaves, or even small animals & insects get into nooks or crannies is essential to longevity. Making sure all coils are protected and filters are clean will keep your air conditioner working optimally and increase the lifespan as well. Vacuum filters to keep them clean, and replace them when needed. 8. Reduce internal heat as much as possible It seems obvious, but using appliances that work against your air conditioner won’t help your electric bill. Instead of using your oven or stove, use the grill outside as much as possible. Keeping lighting off when possible can help with keeping a home cool during the day. It’s recommended to have your air conditioner checked over by a specialist once a year. By ensuring your unit is in optimal working condition, you will save money and not get caught off guard with problems on the hottest day of the year. Contact Cardinal Heating & Cooling today to make sure you stay comfortable this summer!
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