Having a central air conditioner in Marlton, NJ, provides relief on hot summer days, but many homeowners want to lower their electric bills and wonder how to do so while staying cool. There’s no reason to give up central air in an effort to manage utility costs because there are ways to make the energy usage more efficient.
Be Reasonable About the Temperature Setting
It’s best to set the thermostat at 78 degrees or higher for air conditioning, according to Consumer Reports. Some individuals have become accustomed to setting the thermostat at 74 or even 72 degrees when it’s hot outside, but for most people, there’s no reason to go to that extreme. Unless someone has health issues that make those very cool temperatures advisable, 78 is great.
Use Fans for Cooling Effects
Fans don’t cool the air, but the breeze they generate cools people and their pets. If 78 degrees feels too warm and stuffy, running a ceiling fan or a floor fan can make a big difference. This can be especially helpful when someone is physically active in the house and starts sweating at 78 degrees. Vacuuming carpets and wet-mopping floors, for instance, can be done with fans running.
Don’t Heat Up the House
Many people tend to feel that it’s acceptable to bake cookies, boil spaghetti and run a clothes dryer while the central air conditioner in Marlton, NJ, is running. It may be acceptable, but it doesn’t help with frugality. All those activities add a certain amount of heat to the interior air. Baking cookies typically could be left for a cooler day, and hot days call for meals that don’t involve ovens and boiling water.
People who have the option of hanging clothes outside might consider arranging their laundry schedule to make that convenient, instead of running a dryer. It should be noted that hanging damp laundry in the house on muggy days can be counterproductive, as this adds more humidity to the home’s interior.
Annual Maintenance to the System
When it’s time for the annual furnace maintenance and inspection appointment with a company like Horizon Services, homeowners can include central air equipment service as well. Periodic adjustments and cleaning can make the device run more efficiently.
