7 Easy Tips To Keep You And Your Power Bill Cool This Summer

As 2022 winds down and summer heats up, you may be giving thought to the size of your electricity bill and how you can keep it in check through the warmer months.

Here are 7 easy tips to keep you and your power bill cool this summer.

1. Focus on the temperature

We know that when the dog days of summer roll around and the temperature stays stubbornly high, it can be mighty tempting to kick your air conditioner into overdrive. Before you do that, a word of warning: if you’re watching your power bill, it’s important to keep the temperature of your air con in check. You’ve probably heard that the best temperature to set your air conditioner to is around 24 degrees. What you may not know is that for every degree cooler than this, your air conditioner can use 10% more power.

2. Stick to a maintenance schedule

While it can be easy to put in the too-hard basket, neglecting the maintenance of your air conditioner can reduce its efficiency and even cause it to use more energy. The good news is, keeping your air conditioner in check won’t take long and is easy enough for anyone to do. Here’s your to-do list:

3. Check the filter

If you only check one thing on your air conditioner, make it the filter. Dirty filters reduce the amount of air circulating in your home and can increase the energy consumption of your machine by as much as 15%. Cleaning (or replacing—depending on the model) the filter once every month or two will keep your air con humming and your home cool.

4. Give the coil a once over

Like the filter, your air conditioner’s coil (located in the air intake system, which is typically outside) can collect debris over time. It’s a good idea to give these a quick clean every year or two, particularly following periods of heavy weather when leaves or dirt may have collected in the machine.

5. Invest in insulation

If your home stays hot no matter what you do, you may need to look at your insulation, particularly if you have an older house. With recent advances in materials and design, good insulation can help your home cool without boosting your power bill.

6. Try the fan

Because humidity makes us sweat more, fans can actually be the most effective way to cool down because they cause the sweat to evaporate. So next time you find yourself sweating buckets, switch on the fan and save some power while you’re at it.

7. Smarten up your air conditioner

One of the best ways to save on your power bill and make your air conditioner work smarter is by embracing technology. You can turn your air conditioner into a smart one, allowing you to connect to your air conditioner via Wi-Fi. Using your smartphone, remotely adjust your air conditioner for power savings:

• Schedule your air conditioner to run at the right temperature at the right time, and take advantage of off-peak pricing
• Set a temperature threshold that will trigger your air-con unit to turn on when your home reaches a certain temperature
• Trigger your machine to automatically turn off when you leave the house
• Turn your AC on remotely so you can be sure you’ll return to a cool home