Summertime Home Cooling Tips To Help Save Money & Energy…
Clean your air filters:
Dirty filters reduce airflow, meaning your air conditioner is working overtime. Examine the unit's air filters each month and clean or replace them when necessary. Keep lights, computers, televisions and other heat producing appliances away from your thermostat. Replace older style thermostats with a programmable type. This allows the unit to turn on/off at specific times, even when you forget.
Properly seal your ducts and vents:
If you have a central air conditioning system, make sure the air ducts are properly insulated and sealed. Especially ducts that pass through the attic or crawlspace under the house. Standard gray duct tape deteriorates quickly; use a metallic duct sealing tape to ensure a long lasting seal. Keep furniture from blocking air conditioning vents. Close off unused rooms and close vents in those rooms.
Areas of household leaks:
Conditioned air escapes quickly up the chimney. Make sure your fireplace damper or glass doors are closed. Install weather stripping around your exterior doors and apply caulking around window frames to keep the cool air in.
What to do around your house:
Keep blinds and drapes closed during the daytime to reduce the amount of thermal heat from the sun from raising the temperature inside your home. You can install reflective film on the windows to block some of the heat. Plan to do your cooking and the laundry in the early morning or late evening.
Use Fans:
Consider using fans to cool your home instead running the air conditioning unit. Fans are much more energy efficient than the A/C. In Southern California, we can open our doors and windows after the sun has set to allow the cooler evening air into our homes.
Use your windows correctly:
If your home has what is called "double-hung" windows, a window where the top and the bottom panes both open, use them to your advantage. By lowering the top portion of your window when the room is hot, you will be letting the hot air escape (since hot air rises) and allowing the cooler air to enter through the lower pane. I find it works best to open the lower portion of the window in an area that is on the cooler side of the house, then open the upper portion of the window on the warmer side of the house, this will create cross-ventilation and work more efficiently.