How to keep the energy costs down during the hot summer months
Whether you’ve got a nice air conditioner that will cool your house while you lay on the couch, a pool to float in, or simply a fan to blow the sweat away from your eyes, the power bills can skyrocket without you realising. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do around the house to try and keep costs down while your air con is keeping you cool.
If you do use an air conditioner, set it to a slightly higher temperature and use it in conjunction with a fan so the cool air is circulated better and the air conditioner doesn’t need to work as hard.- If you’re wearing long pants, a jumper, or rugged up with a blanket while in the air conditioning, you could probably turn the temperature up slightly and just wear shorts or a t-shirt. While it is tempting to crank the air con to lower temperatures and snuggle up, you’ll thank yourself for not doing it once the power bill comes.
- The cool air may be escaping your house if you feel it takes a lot of time or energy to get the house cool. Sometimes air leaks can bring your summer cooling to a halt. These can come from windows, doors, exhaust fans, downlights, skylights, powerpoints - any place where the walls, floor, or ceiling has had something built in - and the area wasn’t sealed properly when the job was done.
- Check for air leaks lighting a stick of incense or a candle and holding it steady in the areas you might suspect a leak. If the flame or the smoke moves in any way without some other influence, then there is airflow there that would suggest a leak. Check all around your house to see where exactly needs sealing.
- You can caulk any holes, weatherstrip the windows and doors, and place some temporary blockades like door snakes for under doors to block the leaks and keep that cool air inside - and the hot air out!
Try a slightly higher temperature on the air con than normal combined with a fan - even one or two degrees higher can save you power and still keep you cool. - Make sure your air conditioner filters are clean, otherwise it will take more power to cool the area.
- Make sure you exhaust fans in the bathroom and kitchen are up to snuff - extracting that hot air from showers or cooking will help lessen the load on what your air conditioner needs to cool.
Being energy-conscious during summer can be hard as we just want to crank the air con up - but trying some tricks to lower your reliance on air conditioning can help. Your wallet won’t just thank you - it’s good for the environment too.
