Florida summers bring intense heat and humidity. Residents in Winter Park know exactly how fast utility bills can climb when the temperature rises outside. You want to stay comfortable inside your home, but paying astronomical electricity bills every month is frustrating.
Finding the right balance between comfort and affordability is entirely possible with a few simple adjustments.
Run Your AC at 78 Degrees When Home, Higher When Away
Adjusting your thermostat is the most direct way to influence your monthly utility expenses. Setting your system to 78 degrees while you are inside the house provides a comfortable environment for most people.
Pushing the thermostat higher when you leave for work or run errands prevents the system from running unnecessarily. Your equipment works hard enough as it is, and giving it a break during empty hours saves a significant amount of energy.
Sometimes older systems simply cannot maintain these temperatures efficiently, which might mean an air conditioning replacement is eventually necessary to restore proper efficiency. Modern units handle these temperature adjustments with ease and use far less electricity overall.
If you ever find yourself struggling to maintain comfortable temperatures even after adjusting the settings, professional help might be required. Having a technician from Pro-Tech Air Conditioning & Plumbing Service inspect your equipment ensures everything functions exactly as it should.
Use Ceiling Fans to Feel Cooler without Lowering Temperature
Moving air creates a wind chill effect on your skin. Turning on your ceiling fans allows you to feel significantly cooler than the actual room temperature. You can comfortably raise your thermostat a few degrees while the fans are spinning.
Just remember to turn the fans off when you leave the room since they cool people rather than spaces.
Close Blinds and Curtains during Hottest Afternoon Hours
Sunlight streaming through your windows introduces a massive amount of thermal energy into your living spaces. The afternoon sun is particularly intense and forces your cooling equipment to work overtime just to keep up.
Shutting your blinds and drawing your curtains blocks out that radiant heat completely. Thermal curtains offer even better protection against the afternoon glare.
Change Air Filters Monthly to Prevent System Strain
Airflow restriction is a major cause of energy waste in residential properties. A dirty filter forces the blower motor to draw more electricity to push conditioned air through the home. Replacing your filters every thirty days keeps the air flowing freely and reduces the overall workload on the equipment.
You also gain the added benefit of breathing cleaner indoor air. Purchasing filters in bulk makes it easy to swap them out on the first day of every month.
Cook Outdoors or Use Microwaves Instead of the Oven
Using your traditional oven introduces hundreds of degrees of heat directly into the center of your house. Your cooling equipment then has to consume more energy to remove that extra heat. Preparing meals on an outdoor grill keeps all that thermal energy outside where it belongs.
Microwaves and slow cookers are excellent indoor alternatives that generate a fraction of the heat of a standard oven.
