The first heatwave of 2021 is upon us, but that shouldn’t leave you sweating. Whether you have an air conditioner or not, these low-cost, quick to implement tips will help keep your home comfortable while saving energy.
Beat the Heat— 5 cool tips for homes with or without air conditioning:
- We’re lucky to live in Colorado where the air cools to the 50s or 60s at night. Use this natural air conditioning to your advantage. Leave windows open at night, or open windows and doors first thing in the morning to bring the cool air in and move the stale warm air out. Portable fans can help create an air flow to quicken the process. Place one fan in an open door or window facing inside on one end of the house, then place another fan on the opposite end of the house blowing outside.
- Once the house has cooled, close everything up. If you have thick blackout curtains or blinds, keep them closed especially if windows are facing the sun.
- If you have ceiling fans make sure they are rotating counterclockwise to push cool air down.
- Supplement ceiling fans with portable fans to keep air moving throughout the home.
- Wait to run home appliances until the cooler evening hours. A dryer, dish washer or oven can quickly warm up an area of the house making your cooling system work overtime especially if it’s during the hottest part of the day. By using those appliances during cooler hours, it’s much easier to keep a comfortable temperature in the house… and it gives you an excuse to grill outside.
Best practices with a cooling system:
Temperature Setting
- Set your thermostat higher on hot days so the cooling system doesn’t have to work so hard.
- Thermostats should also be left higher when you’re not at home or at night when sleeping. This can save around 10%on energy use.
- Adjusting your thermostat is made easy in the “smart” age. Smart thermostats have gotten cheaper over the years and have become very affordable with our $50 rebate on a qualified purchase.
Maintain
- Neglecting regular tune-ups for an air conditioning system can lead to underperformance costing more energy use and providing less cool air. On average having a professional tune-up your system runs around $90. That cost is quickly equaled out by maintaining an efficient system, saving on energy costs.
- Throughout the warmer months remove any dirt, leaves or debris around your outside unit.
- Routinely change your filter. A simple filter replacement costs about $10 and can lower your air conditioner’s energy use by 15%.
Prepare for the next heatwave:
- Drafty doors and windows can cause warm air to infiltrate your home which makes air conditioning systems work overtime to keep the temperature down. For around $20 you can purchase weather stripping and caulk to seal any gaps. Weather stripping should be used on moving pieces like doors and window frames where the window closes. Caulk should be used to fill gaps around the frame to create a seal.
- According to the Department of Energy, sealing leaks around doors and windows can save up to 20% on heating and cooling.
Tips for energy savings all year:
- In recent years the price for energy-efficient LED bulbs have dropped considerably. LED bulbs use 80% percent less energy and can last 25 times longer than those old incandescent bulbs. For under $20 you can replace your five most used bulbs with LEDs and save around $75 a year.
- Speaking of lights… turn them off in unoccupied rooms.
- Unplug electronic devices not in regular use. Some devices still pull power when not in use for standby modes or digital clocks.
- Get a home energy audit where a professional will look at your home and find ways to save on energy. Learn more here.
By implementing these tips, you can keep cool and feel cool saving money. Make sure to find more tips and rebates at csu.org.
