Cut HVAC Bills This Summer with These 6 Tips

As hot weather approaches, the cooling season will begin; for months your family will rely on the air conditioner to escape the summer heat and humidity. Your air conditioner will do a good job for months on end, cooling the air and removing humidity, the jobs it was designed to do. However, the air conditioner is not the only source of summertime comfort. Here are a few things you can do to enhance the work your air conditioner is doing and cut HVAC bills.

1. Make sure your attic is fully insulated to cut HVAC bills. When your home was built, the contractor was required to meet the building code during an inspection. Over time, the insulation can settle, shift, or be compressed by attic storage. Check to make sure the settled insulation is at least 10” to 12” deep.

Why is attic insulation important to air conditioning? During the winter, 80% of heat loss goes right through the ceiling. But during the summer, the hottest space in your home is the attic. Insulation creates a barrier, preventing heat from radiating down through the ceiling. This definitely affects the comfort of your home, since a good AC has a hard time making up for poor insulation.

2. Cover and uncover windows to your advantage. During the winter months, we all long for the warm, sunshiny days of spring and summer. When you consider that windows are a poor insulator and 76% of sunshine that enters your home turns to heat¹, window treatments are a chief comfort factor for your home during the cooling season.

Be sure to close blinds or drapes on the south and west faces of your home to block excess sunlight during the hot part of the day—generally from 10 am to at least 4 pm–but you will know this time for your home. Keeping harsh rays out during the hottest part of the day will add to the comfort level all day long.

3. Fans and air conditioning complement each other. Do not misunderstand, a fan will not cool the air. That is the job of the air conditioner. Refrigerant gases use compression/decompression to create cool air and remove excess moisture from the air. A ceiling or floor fan cannot do the same thing. But they can make your home more comfortable.

Moving air makes us feel cooler. It works in two ways:

• Moving air increases the rate of evaporation. We sweat, bring body moisture to the surface of our skin. The moisture is the same temperature as our body and evaporation of sweat helps to cool our skin temperature.
• Moving air also enhances the rate of convection. Hot air in direct contact with our skin is moved away by the moving air.

Neither of these processes cools the air, but moving air makes our body more comfortable by making us “feel cooler.”

4. Upgrade incandescent light bulbs. Old-style filament incandescent lightbulbs produce a tremendous amount of heat along with lighting a space. In fact, 95% of the 100 watts consumed by an incandescent lightbulb turns to heat. Multiply that by the number of bulbs and it adds significantly to the heat load your AC is trying to overcome. This move can add to the comfort level during extremely hot days.
5. Control the moisture created by normal activities with exhaust fans. Both cooking and bathing can release a lot of moisture inside the house. High humidity leaves skin and surfaces feeling “sticky,” so remove the steam produced while showering or boiling to the outdoors. Keep the bathroom door closed with the fan on for about 10 minutes following showers for best results.

Check the dryer exhaust hose as well. A loose-fitting or leaking hose will regularly introduce excess moisture into the home. It will also add lint as airborne particles, dusting the entire home, clogging the air filter, and potentially creating a fire hazard.

6. Prepare for appliance use to maximize comfort.

• Avoid baking during the summer months. Prepare meals using stovetop or countertop appliances, since these tend to produce less heat or heat smaller spaces to cook.
• Schedule laundry use during the coolest part of the day. This reduces peak-time energy use, which saves money. It also keeps the home a little more comfortable all day long.

Need tips to Cut HVAC bills this summer, we can help!

For more information about R.M. Mullinix and Air Conditioner lifespan, schedule an appointment, or visit our HVAC System Maintenance information page.

¹ https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/energy-efficient-window-coverings