The summertime can be a time when your electricity rates start to spike. It can cost a lot to keep your home cool all summer, especially in this brutal Texas heat. It does not have to cost you a fortune in order to stay cool and comfortable this summer. Here are some ways to stay cool while saving.
Use Fans
You can save greatly by lowering your air conditioning usage and relying more on ceiling fans, or even smaller fans. You should set your thermostat to 78 degrees to save on your bills. While this might seem like it would be way too hot, you can ease into it and you will barely notice. You can lower it by one degree each day, so the change is not too drastic. Relying on fans more than your air conditioning will help you save greatly. Another tip is to turn off your fan when you are not in the room. Remember, fans do not cool rooms, they cool people.
Block Out the Sun
A great way to keep your home cooler is to keep the sun out. When your windows are open, the sun is shining into your house, causing it to heat up and your air conditioning to work extra hard. Close the blinds or curtains in rooms you are not using, or on certain windows that the sun shines through directly, or during certain times in the day when it is especially hot outside.
Use LED Lights
If you are keeping your curtains closed during the day, you will need to keep your lights on, unless you just like being in the dark. If you are going to keep lights on all day, that will cost you more too. One way to help this is to switch to LED lights. Iridescent light bulbs actually turn 90% of the energy they use into heat, so you will have to pay more to light your house as well as cool it. LED bulbs use half as much heat, 75% less energy and last 50 times longer than traditional bulbs.
Cook Outside
Take advantage of the great weather and cook some of your meals outside on the cool summer nights. Using the oven or the stove inside can heat your house incredibly and cost you greatly. Cooking inside can heat your kitchen up to 10 degrees! Help yourself save some money and some sweat, and move the cooking outside.
