Tips to Help You Start Saving On Energy Costs Immediately

Summer heat can be overwhelming, but your electric bill doesn't have to be. Be sure and check the efficiency of your home and air conditioning unit to hopefully avoid paying high electric bills all season. Here are a few simple tips to lower your electricity cost this year:

Schedule Your AC Usage

The number one culprit when it comes to your electric bill is easily misusing your AC system. Keeping your thermostat set to the same temperature all day might seem like a good idea, but in practice, raising and lowering your thermostat's temperature can save a ton. If you leave for work every day, turn it up a bit. Even raising your temperature by 1 degree can result in a 5% efficiency bump, and you can always bring it back down when you get back home. Extra points if you get this all done automatically with a programmable thermostat!

Fans Are Your Friends

A fan's purpose if more to move and circulate the air around you than to actually cool the air, but this moving air can really make a room FEEL like it is cooling down. Try running a fan for a while and letting the AC have a bit of a break now and then. 

Never Neglect Your Filters

Regularly changing your AC filters is one of the easiest and yet most important forms of maintenance you can perform for your home's AC system. A dirty or clogged AC filter will force a system to have to work harder to push air through your house, resulting n a higher bill at the end of the month.

Look Out For Phantom Energy Usage

You might be totally aware of it, but some of your small appliances in your home will draw power even when they aren't turned on. Look especially for appliances that have transformers on them, or those little black blocks you see at the end of the power cord. Unplug these items when you can, or for convenience, you can plug them into a power strip, and just flip the whole power strip off when these appliances aren't in use.

Check Your Older Appliances

Sometimes you can do everything right, and still end up paying too much at the end of the month simply because your appliances are older and inefficient. If a major appliances like an air conditioning unit is over 10 years old, there's a good chance it's just time to think about getting a new one. A newer, energy efficient unit can cut your energy costs by up to 50% in some cases.

There's no magic wand solution when it comes to making your home as energy efficient as possible, especially during hot summer months, but tips like these can go a long way towards helping maximize your home's energy efficiency.