Summer is all fun and games—until you receive your electricity bill. The season can get very hot and humid, and most of us just want to stay at home and enjoy the cool air from our central air conditioning unit. So we’re spending more time indoors and keeping our cooling systems on an entire day. That’s sure to make a huge impact on our electric bills.
But don’t you want to enjoy your summer without worrying about your expenses? There are ways you can keep cool in this heat without spending more. Here are some tips on how to save on your electricity bill this summer.
Block sunlight
The direct hit of the sun can easily warm up your home. The tendency is for you to lower down your air conditioning unit to fight the heat. But the lower the temperature is, the higher your energy consumption. As much as possible, keep the default temperature at 24 to 27 degrees Celsius. Just block the sunlight from heating your home by covering up your windows. There are a lot of temporary fixtures such as blackout curtains, window tint, or blinds.
Get crafty with a bowl of ice and a fan
Instead of overusing your air conditioning unit, you can find other ways to generate cold air. Choose to turn your cooling unit off at night. Instead, put a couple of ice cubes in a bowl and position it in front of a fan to blow cool air.
Fans make use of significantly less energy compared to cooling systems. A central AC uses 3500 watts, while a fan only utilizes 100 watts. Consuming less than a third of energy for AC, fans enable you to save more while staying cool.
Open your windows at night
If you don’t want to use up electricity at all at night, you can simply open your windows. The temperature outdoors tends to get cooler as the sun goes down, even during the summer. So take advantage of that and allow fresh air to enter your home while you sleep.
Clean your air conditioning unit
Your AC might be using up more electricity than it did when it was new. That’s because of the accumulated debris blocking the air filters. This makes it more difficult for air to move easily; hence, the machine runs slower and consumes more energy to function. Clean your air conditioning unit frequently to help it work better and use less energy.
Invest in indoor plants
Having plants at home is a great way to keep your surroundings cool. Plants help decrease the temperature while improving the quality of indoor air. Summer is the perfect opportunity to redecorate your home and add in a lot of house plants.
Change your lightbulbs
Light bulbs produce more heat than light. An average light bulb produces 15% of light and 85% heat. This might be a reason your house isn’t getting cool enough—and why your electric bill is incredibly higher.
Swap your regular bulbs with LED or compact fluorescent lightbulbs. These are more energy-efficient options. Plus, they last longer, helping you save tons of money in the long run.
Summer should be filled with joy and fun. Don’t let your electricity bills get in the way of you enjoying the summer season. Take these life hacks and save up while staying cool this summer.
