How to Save Money on Air Conditioning Costs This Summer
In the hot and humid days of summer, your home air conditioning unit may be running 24/7 to keep your indoor environment comfortable - but if you’re wincing when you look at your energy bill at the end of the month, we’d like to share a few ways you can save money on air conditioning costs this summer. There are three ways you can save money on air conditioning costs that don’t involve replacing your entire unit: upgrading your insulation, closing the drapes, and turning off lights.
Upgrade Your Insulation, Especially Your Attic
The biggest change you can make to save money on air conditioning is by upgrading your insulation. Unlike our other suggestions (which are free or easy to do) upgrading your insulation does requires both time and money, but the return on value is the greatest and longest lasting.
The best place to upgrade your insulation is in the attic. Your attic is basically a hat on top of your house - in the summer, it acts like a sunhat, keeping the worst of the heat from the sun from beating into the core of your home. If your attic has inadequate, old, or damaged insulation (and many of the older homes in southern Ontario do), the heat can penetrate the attic’s defenses and heat up your home - causing your air conditioning unit to have to run double-time to keep up.
Insulation helps to prevent this heat transfer from happening, but it has benefits beyond the heat of summer - new insulation will help you save during the winter months too, by helping prevent the heat your furnace creates from escaping into the attic and out of the house. In the winter, new attic insulation is a wooly toque - it keeps your heat in.
Close the Blinds
After a winter of darkness, it’s natural to want to keep the blinds open to enjoy as much of that summer sun as you can. But closing them can help you save money on air conditioning by adding another layer of protection against the heat of the sun. While regular curtains will do the trick too, there are special insulated curtains on the market today that have the added protection of a thin layer of foam or even aluminum to block sound and heat exchange.
Turn off the Lights!
Keeping lights off in your home or in unused rooms is not only good for the environment, but it’ll help save money on air conditioning because lights produce heat! Even a single bulb can heat up a room significantly, so ensuring unnecessary lights are off at all times can help you prevent extra air conditioner use.
Running Your Air Conditioner Efficiently
There are many more ideas out there to help you save money on air conditioning. Some other favourites include:
- Close off heating ducts for rooms you’re not using
- Choose lighter colours for the exterior of your home - dark colours absorb more heat
- Seal up air leaks to prevent conditioned air from escaping
- Plant shade trees and bushes around the south western side of your home
- Install a programmable thermostat so you can have better control when you’re home or away
A comfortable home doesn’t have to be an expensive one - save money on air conditioning this summer by employing a few of these easy techniques. Contact EcoComfort for your home comfort and Toronto attic insulation solutions.
