9 Ways to Save Energy And Reduce Your Energy Costs This Summer
Tips to keep your electric bill chill
The heat is on! It’s time to make a game plan for saving energy this summer and avoiding skyrocketing electricity bills. Here are a variety of ways you can offset the season’s rising temperatures.
FAN YOURSELF
Buying stand, box or ceiling fans is a small investment that can reduce your energy costs. Using fans to help cool your home means you can raise the thermostat setting by 4 degrees without reducing your comfort level. Just remember to turn off the fans when you’re not in the room. They aren’t intended to cool the space — just the people in the space, via the wind chill effect.
YOUR THERMOSTAT SETTING
According to the Department of Energy, setting your thermostat at 78 degrees in the summer can save you up to 10% in energy costs each year. If 78 degrees is too warm for you, you can adjust it a bit lower to be comfortable. Just remember that for every degree you raise your thermostat above 72 degrees, you save up to 3% of your cooling expenses.
Consider getting a programmable thermostat, so you can program a warmer setting when you’re not home and automatically start cooling your home right before you get back. If you’re into technology, try a wireless remote thermostat, like the ComfortLink™ II, that can be paired with the Nexia™ system and your smartphone, tablet or desktop computer to control your air conditioner from wherever you are.
UPGRADE YOUR AIR CONDITIONER AND APPLIANCES
If you’re ready to take your summer energy savings to the next level, go for a system upgrade. Heating and cooling uses nearly half of the energy in your home, so investing in an energy efficient system is a smart move that will save you money in the long run.
When you’re upgrading your air conditioner, look for Energy Star certified systems that have a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) and Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) ratings. They’ll be 15% more efficient than other models. While you’re going green, think about upgrading your entire home with Energy Star appliances. At the very least, schedule seasonal maintenance for your air conditioner and other systems, so they’re working their best.
GO LOW FLOW
In the summer, water usage usually increases — whether it’s watering your lawn or taking more post-swim showers. Keep outdoor watering costs down by only watering grass and plants in the early morning or at dusk, so the water doesn’t evaporate in the summer heat. Another secret to having an energy efficient home is installing low-flow water fixtures. These work well on shower heads, toilets and even your outdoor sprinkler.
WASH WITH COLD WATER
Here’s a quick summertime money saver. Change up your laundry routine by only washing and rinsing your clothes with cold water. If you do it year round, it could save you around $200 annually.
CLOSE THE BLINDS & CHECK YOUR SEALS
Kicking up the AC isn’t the only way to keep your home cooler in the hot summer months. Take a quick walk around the house and close all the blinds and curtains. This will keep your rooms from heating up too much and being super hard to cool with your air conditioner or fan. Another tip to keep warm air outside is to add weather stripping to your doors and windows.
KEEP YOUR FRIDGE COOL
Your refrigerator and freezer are essential to keeping your lemonade and popsicles cold all summer long. So, here are few tips to save on your energy bill by maintaining your refrigerator properly. Set the thermostat between 35 and 38 degrees for the refrigerator and between 0 and 5 degrees for the freezer. Check the door seal and vacuum the coils. Make sure your fridge is always full of food (or even just jugs of water), so there’s less air space for it to have to cool.
RELAX AND UNPLUG
Keep your electronics from sucking up all your summer energy by unplugging your chargers, TV, computer and other small electronics when you’re not using them. It’s an easy way to save up to $100 a year, according to the Department of Energy.
DINE OUT
Whether you’re grilling a great meal or treating yourself to dinner at your favorite restaurant, steering clear of your kitchen in the summer can reduce your energy bill. Using kitchen appliances can raise the temperature by 10 degrees. Not only will you reduce the energy you use to run those appliances, but you’ll also save on air conditioning costs to cool down your home.
Now that you’ve got a variety of energy-saving ideas that range from new habits to efficient upgrades, challenge yourself to see if you can lower your energy costs this summer. Then use those savings for a weekend vacation in the fall!
7 Ways To Lower Your Heating Bill
Keep your house cozy without breaking the bank this fall and winter
Want to lower your energy costs? Of course, who doesn’t? We’ve pulled together a list of easy energy-saving ideas from simple tips where you’ll see a difference right away to energy-efficient home upgrades that pay off year over year.
According to Energy Star, in the average American household, almost half of the annual energy bill goes to heating and cooling – more than $900 a year. Following these money saving tips can really add up and have a big impact on your family budget.
7 ways to lower your heating bill right now
- Open your curtains and blinds
- Check your insulation
- Seal your doors and windows
- Set your thermostat correctly for winter
- Create climate zones
- Run your ceiling fan clockwise in winter (really!)
- Upgrade to a high-efficient HVAC system
Take a closer look at our list and learn how you can put these ideas into practice in your home today.
OPEN YOUR CURTAINS AND BLINDS
Even on the coldest days, direct sunlight will generate heat when it hits a window. So, on sunny days, let the sun shine in. Best of all – it’s free! Pro tip: open the blinds or curtains to let direct sunlight in and close them up once the sun moves away. Your blinds and curtains act as a secondary insulator and help keep cold air from seeping in.
CHECK YOUR INSULATION
If your attic or crawlspace isn’t properly insulated, your heating system has to work harder to keep your home at a consistently comfortable temperature. The more it works, the more it costs you. Foam insulation can settle after a year. Homes built in the 70’s or earlier should be checked out as insulation quality has come a long way since then. If you live up north where it gets really cold, try adding extra insulation to your garage door, it can make a big difference.
SEAL YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS
You don’t need to be Mr. or Mrs. DIY to check the seals of your doors and windows and replace cracked or worn weather strips. Be sure to seal all cracks, holes, and gaps around windows to prevent air leaks.
SET YOUR THERMOSTAT CORRECTLY FOR WINTER
Ok, so there really isn’t one perfect temperature to keep your home at during the winter. To get max efficiency out of your heating system all you have to do is use the built-in energy-saving functionality most of today’s thermostats have.
- Programmable thermostats. Programmable thermostats allow you to set a variety of temperature preferences during the day for each day of the week. A good guideline for winter is to set it to about 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) when you’re home and lower it (about 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit or 6-8 degrees Celsius) at night or when you’re away. As great as programmable thermostats are – they only work if you use them properly. If you constantly adjust the temperature – you’ll end up spending more, not less, on your energy bill.
- Smart thermostats. If you haven’t already, consider upgrading to a connected, smart home thermostat. Truth is, even though they can, most people don’t use their programmable thermostat properly. Smart thermostats take the human element out of it. These next-gen thermostats do more than just keep your home warm and cozy all winter (which they do very well), they learn your patterns and automatically adjust the temperature for max efficiency and energy savings. You can program them remotely, get real-time performance alerts and even hide that digital display with a screensaver of your choice. When connected, you can control lights, locks, and several other smart home appliances. Check out the Trane ComfortLink™ II XL1050 or ask your local Trane Dealer to recommend the best thermostat for your home.
CREATE CLIMATE ZONES
The idea here is simple: direct more warm air to the rooms you use most. The DIY way to do this is to close the vents in the rooms you don’t use often. This forces your heating system to direct more warm air to where you want it. Take this concept to the next level by having an HVAC professional install a climate zone system, like the Trane ComfortLink™ II Zoning System. Trane uses exclusive motorized modulating dampers inside your ductwork to open and close in partial increments. That means heated or cooled air is directed where it’s needed, providing maximum comfort where you want it most.
RUN YOUR CEILING FAN CLOCKWISE IN WINTER (REALLY!)
Fans aren’t just for keeping you cool in the summer. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating warm air that rises to the top of the room and distributing it throughout the house.
UPGRADE TO A HIGH-EFFICIENT HVAC SYSTEM
If your home heating and cooling system is over ten years old, it’s not going to have the energy efficient SEER rating that is now standard. The majority of systems installed prior to 2006 are 10 SEER or lower. You can save up to 62% in energy costs with a more efficient system. Talk to a Trane Comfort Specialist about upgrading to an ultra-efficient Trane today.
