This time of year is torture on your energy bills vs your comfort. You can suffer an uncomfortable home to keep your electric bills low or you can pay a premium to achieve comfort in your home. Here are some things to make the struggle a little easier.
1. Vampire loads are a constant draw on your electric loads that can easily be stopped. Finding them and turning them off will reduce your electric loads so that you can focus energy used on achieving comfort.
2. Install a smart thermostat. These thermostats learn your habits and adjust heating and cooling patterns in order to minimize energy usage while achieving home comfort. A smart thermostat can also be controlled remotely so if plans change and you will not be home as usual you can tell your HVAC system to use less energy.
3. Take advantage of the cooler days by opening windows and turning off your HVAC system. Use the energy you need on the hot days so that you can maximize the value vs comfort equation. There are not many days later in the summer so take full advantage early on to reduce your electricity usage overall.
4. If you replace appliances this summer, be sure you select energy star rated appliances. These are solutions that meet the highest energy efficiency standards.
5. Install a clothes line instead of running a dryer. A clothes dryer dumps plenty of warm moist air into your home and keeping it out of your house will reduce your energy usage.
6. Use a ceiling fan when you are in the room. The air moving around the room will allow you to keep the thermostat adjusted higher while achieving comfort. It is said that the room will feel 5-7 degrees cooler when blowing across your skin. Turn the fan off when you are not in the room – it does nothing if you are not there.
7. Reduce the appliances usage that produce heat in your home. Your stove, dishwasher, and television are all adding heat inside your home. Use them as little as possible to make your home as comfortable with the lowest energy used.
8. Replace the air filters in your heating and cooling system. If it has been a few years, you probably also want to clean the ducts. Make sure the system that uses energy and provides comfort is running in top form.
9. Add a humidistat to the ventilation system in your home. When the humidity gets to a certain level it will turn on automatically. This ventilation strategy will help keep your home more comfortable.
10. The humidity in your house can be diminished through the use of indoor plants. Using plants such as a Peace Lily, Reed Palm, English Ivy, Boston Fern to pull moisture out of the air will improve the comfort in your home.
