Summer in the South can get hot. For a few months of the year, our air conditioners are working hard to cool our homes and this will cause increased electric use. We’re here to help with the following easy way to save energy and dollars.

Try following these suggestions and read our other articles to learn more:

1. Control your thermostat: In the summer, keep your thermostat set as high as comfortably possible. We suggest 75º when you’re at home and 78º while you’re away or asleep.
2. Use your blinds: Keep blinds closed during daylight hours, especially on the south face of your home. This is particularly helpful if you have South-facing windows in a room where your thermostat is located.
3. Adjust your fans: Adjust your ceiling fans so that they turn toward the high side of the blades (counter-clockwise for most fans), and keep them on a low setting. Moving air tends to feel 3 degrees cooler than stagnant air, regardless of the air temperature.
4. Change air filters: Change the air filters at your return air ducts. This makes it easier for your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system to circulate air.
5. Maintain your HVAC: We suggest regular HVAC service every six months (once before winter; once before summer). Check out Energyright for a list of qualified contractors.
6. Weatherize your home: Fix or replace faulty weather stripping around doors and windows. If you can see light around your doors, it could be costing you in energy use.
7. Check your insulation: Make sure that your home’s attic and crawl space are properly insulated. Department of Energy recommended insulation levels can be found at energy.gov.
8. Upgrade to LED: Consider replacing existing incandescent and fluorescent lighting with quality LED replacements for year-round savings.
9. Make your home smarter: Installing a smart home thermostat can save you money, by automatically adjusting temperature settings when you’re away from home. Register to win one by signing up for Power Partners.
10. Monitor device use: Most of the electricity used in our homes is used by HVAC systems, water heaters and other major appliances, but the use of electronic devices like computers and video game consoles can add up, especially when they’re being used more while kids are home from school. Many smart home plugs can allow you to monitor how much power these devices are using and how many hours out of the day they’re running.
11. Wear cooler clothes: If you turn up your thermostat a few degrees and put on cooler clothing, you’ll likely be comfortable and saving money.

If you’re doing all these things and would still like to increase your energy efficiency, then we can help. Our Power Partners can contact us any time. We’re hear to help with everything from energy audits to solar panel economics calculations.

by Robert Denson