Saving Money on Air Conditioning Bills

As summer kicks into high gear and the heat rises, adjust your AC setting a little higher.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), for each degree that the thermostat is changed, you can save up to 1 percent of your total energy bill as long as the change in temperature lasts 8 hours.  This means  you could save 5 to 15 percent on your cooling bills by increasing the temperature setting by 10 – 15 degrees for 8 hours a day. Of course, results will vary based on how well your home is insulated and the climate in which you live.

(In order to maximize savings, visit Allconnect.com to compare electric companies and rates in your area.) Setting your thermostat as high as is comfortable in the summer also reduces your carbon footprint.  According to the DOE, “Heating and cooling systems in the United States together emit 150 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, adding to global climate change. They also generate about 12% of the nation’s sulfur dioxide and 4% of the nitrogen oxides, the chief ingredients in acid rain.”

Additional strategies to reduce your air conditioning usage this summer:

• Open Windows to “Save Money Cooling Your Home”
• Plant trees to shade your windows in summer.

For more information about programmable thermostats and lowering your energy bills in the winter, see “Have you learned to program your thermostat?”