As we welcome fall the weather only changes slightly during this time of year, the behavior of your household changes quite a bit. For instance, the kids are out of the house for most of the day eliminating the need to have the air conditioner running all day. Also, the nights get several degrees cooler this time of year, making it unnecessary to have the air conditioner running while you sleep.
Here are some other ways that you can save money and energy during this transition time:
- Turn your thermostat up. Set the temperature on your thermostat to 78 degrees while you are home and to 80+ degrees while you are away from your home or, asleep. Use ceiling fans and skylights to allow cool air into your home during the early morning time and late evening, which will naturally cool your home off. Setting your thermostat even one degree above 72 degrees can save you up to 3% on your power bill.
- Use your appliances on a schedule. The peak hours of appliance use throughout the Country is between 4 and 6pm, if you can try to use your appliances before or after this time. Avoid turning your oven on if you can help it as it will use two-thirds more power than your microwave and it will heat up your kitchen. If you can, use a clothesline to dry your clothes rather than the dryer and unplug anything that you are not using.
- Keep the air conditioner filter changed and clean. When your air filter is dirty, it restricts the flow of air and will cause the system to run longer than needed. This not only unnecessarily increases energy use, but it also can cause the motor of the air conditioner to run out sooner than it should, leaving you with an expensive repair or replacement.
This is the time of year when the weather is a little difficult to predict. One week it will be bright and sunny and the next it will be raining and cool. Make sure that both your air conditioner and heating source are ready for what comes, and that you are following these tips for energy-savings.
