8 Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tips
No matter what kind of air conditioning unit you have, the following 8 Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tips can help lower your energy costs as Las Vegas heats up this Spring and Summer. Some of these air conditioning energy savings tips may seem like common sense. Others may come as a surprise. All 8 energy saving tips will help control expensive energy leaks, create more comfort in your home and extend the life of your air conditioning system.
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #1 – Only Cool Spaces You’re Using
Locate air vents and reduce air flow to spaces you do not frequent such as storage rooms, garages and basements. This is common sense, but it takes intentional action. Schedule a day and time when you will evaluate the use of various spaces in your home and reduce air flow to non-living spaces. This will additionally help your air conditioning system more quickly and rapidly cool the spaces you frequent.
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #2 – Leave Your Thermostat Alone!
This may be counterintuitive. Doesn’t it seem logical that setting the air conditioning higher (warmer) during times you are away (during the day) and setting it cooler when you are at home would save energy? Why run the air conditioning when you’re not home? The science says differently. Every time you reset your thermostat your air conditioner has to work harder to get your living space back to a comfortable temperature. It has not only to cool down the air in your home, but also cool down your walls, furniture, rugs…every object in your home! This requires more energy than leaving your thermostat at a steady temperature. As with a car, the most energy is used during acceleration vs. cruising at a steady speed (thus highway MPG is always better than city driving). In addition, changes in temperature result in condensation of moisture which causes your air conditioning system to work even harder.
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #3 – Clear Away Objects Blocking Your Air Vents
If all the cool air your air conditioner is generating pours out of the vent and hits a couch, your couch will absorb a good part of the cool air. In the meantime, your thermostat is registering that the air in your home is warmer and sends a message to your air conditioner to generate more cool air which once again gets absorbed by your couch. Vicious cycle of waste raising your energy bill!
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #4 – Keep Heat Sources Away from Your Thermostat
Imagine a lamp, radio or T.V. near your thermostat generating heat and telling your thermostat to send a message to your air conditioner to work harder. It’s measuring the heat pouring off of the T.V. instead of the air temperature of your home and will work until your T.V. reached the temperature you set for your home. Not going to happen. Energy waste!
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #5 – Set Your Thermostat to a Comfortable Setting, But Not Necessarily an Arctic Setting
I love cooler temperatures. But were I to set my thermostat to a temperature that feels best, we’d be looking at about 65 degrees or even less. Sacrificing a few degrees during the hottest time of the year can create huge savings, while not greatly sacrificing comfort. A good time-proven principle to have in mind is “moderation”.
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #6 – Vent Heat Sources Away from Your Home
Turn on your kitchen exhaust fan while cooking. Don’t let stove and oven heat escape into your home. Periodically check your clothing dryer vent to make sure there is no blockage or disconnected vents. Vents behind your dryer can come loose and you’ll never know because they are hidden. Is the outer vent at the other end of your dryer ducts free of debris and operating properly? Besides trapping heat and sending it into your home making your air conditioner work harder, a lint-blocked dryer vent can be a fire hazard!
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #7 – Check That the Exhaust from Your Air Condenser Is Sent Away from the Condenser
This is probably more a job for the professional who installs or maintains your air condenser. If your air condenser is positioned is such a way that the hot air exhaust can be sucked in by the intake of the condenser or a neighboring condenser (in the case two are side by side) your cooling system has to work harder.
Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tip #8 – Adjust Your Thermostat Before Entertaining Large Groups
Yes, we said the you should not be tweaking your thermostat settings (above). The reason for this was that you keep your home at an even temperature. However, when you entertain a lot of guests, they can generate considerable heat causing the temperature in your home to fluctuate. Remember, the key is to keep your home at an even temperature.
Conclusion
Observing these 8 Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tips can save you a substantial amount in your energy bill:
- Only Cool Spaces You’re Using
- Leave Your Thermostat Alone!
- Clear Away Objects Blocking Your Air Vents
- Keep Heat Sources Away from Your Thermostat
- Set Your Thermostat to a Comfortable Setting, But Not Necessarily an Arctic Setting
- Vent Heat Sources Away from Your Home
- Check That the Exhaust from Your Air Condenser Is Sent Away from the Condenser
- Adjust Your Thermostat Before Entertaining Large Groups
In addition, an air conditioning system that doesn’t have to work as hard will last longer, creating even more energy savings!
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