Seven Tips To Save Money On Air Conditioning

Seven Tips to Save Money on Air Conditioning

With the energy prices rising with no upward limit, it becomes increasingly tough to pay our bills every month. Added to that, the cost of maintaining an air conditioning unit adds additional worries to your mind. So how do you counter this seemingly evil plot to ruin your life savings? Well, here are a few tips that would help you save greatly on your air conditioning costs.

1) Maintenance. This is often overlooked, and is one of the most important aspects of going energy efficient. Properly cleaned air conditioners not only reduce risk of chronic breathing disorders, but also improves the air flow, thus improving the efficiency. Also, get your system serviced by a professional at-least once every 18 months to avoid long term problems.
2) Insulation. Make sure all your walls are without leaks, and your windows are properly sealed. Replace heavily rusted window sills if necessary. A tightly insulate home can save about 18% of its electricity bills through the year, on an average.
3) Using Fans. Using fans circulates the air better in the room, thus allowing an even distribution of chilling effect through the room. This saves the electricity bills by almost 45%.
4) Over-cooling. This is one of the main reasons for our depleting energy resources. Most of our buildings remain overcooled, but the accompanying humidity makes it almost unsatisfactory, causing us to cool down further. A increase of about 8 degrees on the thermostat on an average saves enough energy to run the television set for thrice that amount of time, and saves about 35% on the electricity bill.
5) Higher Temperature Setting. While it may not feel too nice to walk around with your air conditioned room just a few degrees below your outside world, the following fact might help you bear the inconvenience. A drop in the temperature setting by about 8 degrees saves your electricity bill by almost 35% in summer, and 18% all through the year. When you think about it, it does feel better to run your air conditioner at a higher temperature and save energy, rather than run it with full speed ahead, and sleep under your bed covers.
6) Dehumidifying. Dry hot air is always easier to bear than humid hot air. Using dehumidifiers helps greatly, not only by reducing your air conditioning costs, but also by helping your body adapt to the temperature outside, and thus improving your conditioning.
7) Curtains and Drapes. Make sure the registers are not covered. This includes window curtains and hanging plants too. Ideally, the curtains should be held about 25cms above your unit, in case of a window type air conditioner. Also make sure you use curtains to block the heat and sunlight into the room during the hottest part of the day. This not only prevents unnecessary heat accumulation in your room, but also keeps your appliance clean.