Ride out summer without wild energy swings
As a family, we try to take a trip somewhere each year. With elementary-school-aged kids, theme parks are always a big hit. My oldest daughter, Elaine, is a daredevil when it comes to roller coasters. She always wants to ride the most intense ones she’s tall enough for. After riding them with her, I’ve realized I’ve lost my taste for them, and they leave me feeling queasy. When she begs to ride again, I try to distract her with a greasy or sweet treat or a show. If you look at a graph of your home’s energy use,
it often resembles a roller coaster with sharp ups and downs. During summer heat or winter cold, energy consumption climbs, driving up bills. In the milder fall and spring, usage and costs drop. If those summer energy spikes leave you feeling queasy, try these tips to smooth out the ride and lower your cooling costs.
Avoid energy use ups and downs with these tips:
- Raise your thermostat to the highest comfortable setting during hot summer months.
- Set it even higher when the house will be empty for extended periods. A smart thermostat has programmable options and away settings.
- Use ceiling or portable fans and dress in lightweight clothing to stay comfortable. Remember to turn off fans after you leave the room.
- Shade windows that receive direct sunlight to block solar heat gain.
- Change air conditioning filters regularly.
- Keep both indoor and outdoor HVAC coils clean.
- Minimize use of candles, candle warmers, the oven and stovetop when possible. These sources add welcome heat in winter, but they place extra load on your air conditioner in summer.
- Ensure attic insulation is sufficient (typically at least 10 inches) and fully covers the attic floor.
- Check for leaky ductwork that may be losing cooled air or pulling in hot outdoor air.
- For cooling, portable and window air conditioners are generally the least efficient options. Central systems and mini-splits tend to be the most efficient.
- Be mindful of the time you run appliances like dishwashers and clothes washers, and don’t use them all at once.
Another great way to minimize the shock of your summer electric bill is to enroll in budget-friendly levelized billing, which averages your annual costs, giving you surprise-free bills each month. Contact your local electric cooperative to learn how to enroll. By adopting a few of these strategies, your summer energy use won’t climb so high that you’ll want to get off the roller coaster.