When it heats up during the summer months, usually the energy bill rises too. As the cost of keeping a home cool in the summer continues to climb, many smart home owners are beginning to find clever and creative ways of reducing their monthly energy bills without compromising comfort and the health consciousness that comes with living in a temperature controlled house. These simple, yet highly effective ways to reduce the cost of their monthly expenses not only pay for themselves in a short period of time, but also have several ancillary benefits that will reduce other expenses including expensive HVAC repair in Scottsdale.
Here are three simple tips to save money each month on energy bills as the heat climbs.
Money Saving Tip #1 – Make Improvements To Your Windows
There are many people that believe installing new windows will significantly reduce your energy bills. However, with the cost of complete window replacement in a household eclipsing the five-figure mark in most cases, getting your return on investment will take a long time. This is why we’d recommend making a few small changes or additions to your current windows to reduce the amount of direct sunlight and heat that enters your house. This includes:
- Adding window tint to your windows. Many people add window tint to their cars in order to keep the interior of their cars from overheating. This same philosophy can be applied to your house. And, the service is considerably cheaper in cost than replacing windows.
- Add sun reflecting screens or honeycomb shades on your windows. Installing either of these two products has been shown to reduce the overall temperature of your home by up to 10-15 degrees in many cases.
Money Saving Tip #2 – Instigate A Few Temperature Control Procedures
A simple tip to keep your house cooler overall is to reduce the amount of daily jobs or activities that increase the heat inside your home. This includes:
- Spend more time cooking outdoors. By grilling more often in summer, you’ll be using less energy by using stove tops or ovens inside the house. The use of these common devices also tends to increase the overall temperature inside the house.
- Use programmable thermostats. Another way to control the temperature inside your home is to install a programmable thermostat that is designed to keep your house manageable when you’re away from home.
Money Saving Tip #3 – Have An Efficient AC Unit Maintenance Program
The final tip we can suggest is to make sure you stay on top of keeping your AC unit in good shape, ensuring the unit operates at peak capacity and does not waste energy. Three important benefits for keeping the AC unit serviced annually include:
- Replacing filters allows air to flow smoothly. The direct result is a more efficient AC unit and less energy used to cool the home.
- Inspecting ductwork and making sure they are sealed will prevent cool air from escaping and hot air from entering the home. Leaky ductwork can increase the energy output of an AC unit by up to 75%. So make sure the ductwork is inspected on an annual basis.
- Keeping the AC unit serviced with proper lubricants and replacement parts. This will permit the AC unit to function correctly, and will reduce costly repairs of expensive mechanical parts.
Making sure to follow these three simple suggestions are all cost-effective ways of keeping your house cooler and it will also help you save on energy bills in Scottsdale each month.
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