The Thermostat. Installing either a programmable or automated thermostat is useful. Either will help you control the temperature and ensure a budget-friendly setting is in place when no one is home. If you have a two-story home and run two units, set the thermostat downstairs to one degree lower than your target temperature and the one upstairs to one degree higher than your target temperature. This arrangement facilitates your units to work in tandem with each other instead of against each other.
Air Filters. Using cheaper air filters can also be a benefit. The more expensive ones are great, especially if anyone in the home has allergies or sensitivities. The con is that your unit works harder to bring air in because of the thickness of those filters. Air conditioning professionals have various opinions about what filter to use, but I find using the cheaper air filters works just fine for my particular case.
The A/C Unit. Keeping your unit clean and well-maintained will keep costs in check as well. Lightly spraying the condenser coil of your unit and rinsing out the dirt and debris will keep air flow running smoothly through the coil. A dirty coil hinders air movement, making the unit work harder. A yearly inspection of your unit is always advisable too. Contact your utility company to see if they run specials on annual maintenance services. The specials usually run in the late spring, before you’re ready to switch on the A/C.
Insulation and Duct Sealing. Another thing to consider is checking the level of insulation in your attic and how well your ducts are sealed. If you have fewer than 12 inches of insulation in your attic, it could be a problem. Rectifying these issues is expensive, but you save a lot of money in the long run. I did it for my home during the summer months and my electric bill went down by almost $100 the next month, and the temperatures were even higher than the previous month! Many utility companies offer rebates for making your home more energy-efficient and some expenses even give you a tax credit on your tax return. I received over $1,000 in rebates and a $122 tax credit for installing attic insulation and solar screens and sealing the ducts. Call your utility company and request an energy audit on your home to see where the inefficiencies are in your home and if the company offers rebates.
Window Treatments. By no means do I keep current on window treatments, but I do know that blackout honeycomb shades are great at keeping the heat or cold out as well as keeping the light out! I have a set of non-blackout honeycomb shades in the water closet and I can feel the heat emanating from the window in the summer. The blackout shades…no heat at all.
Time-of-Use Plans. If your utility company offers time-of-use plans, look into it. They’re not for everybody. Many people don’t want the restriction of when they should and shouldn’t do high-powered activities like laundry, running the dishwasher, and cooking. I’m on a time-of-use plan and I have had a few months where I actually paid more for being on the plan than not being on any kind of plan at all. The amounts were small and I’ve saved money life-to-date being on the plan so I continue to subscribe to it.
Equal Payment Plans. Many utility companies offer the option of paying the same amount every month regardless of the actual bill amount. They periodically average out your actual usage and make adjustments to your payment to make sure you don’t get too far ahead or behind. If your income stream is more or less the same amount each month, enrolling in the equal payment plan makes sense. Your bill is completely predictable, making it easier to budget.
The Proof. I have employed all of these strategies in my home. I have a 2,600+ square foot 2-story home with two A/C units and no swimming pool. I pay $74 a month for electricity and $47 a month for natural gas. I’m not disclosing this to brag in any way, but to demonstrate that these strategies work! So the question is…how low can you go?
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