Keeping your home comfortable in the heat of the summer can result in high energy bills. However, you can take steps to reduce your cooling costs by undertaking some simple projects that have a high rate of return. They include:
- Add insulation and ventilation to your attic. When heat gets trapped in the attic, it makes it more difficult to cool the entire home. If you can see the top of the joists in your attic, add batt or blown-in insulation. This is a project you may be able to do yourself, and insulation lasts for years.
- Evenings in our area often cool off nicely. A whole-house fan can cool your home at night. Normally installed in the attic, these fans pull cooler outdoor air through your home, so you don't have to run your air conditioner as much, lowering your energy bills.
- Use your oven sparingly when the weather is hot. Use slow cookers, microwaves or toaster ovens to cook your food instead. If you have to bake, do it at night or early in the morning when temperatures are cooler.
- Change or clean your air filters regularly, as often as monthly during the heavy cooling season. Dust and dirt impede the airflow going through your HVAC system, raising your electric bills. The dirt is also the primary cause of premature system failure.
- Hose off the fins and coils for your outdoor compressor and remove any plant debris near the unit.
- Shade the windows with coverings or shade cloth that can lower the heat coming indoors by 90 percent.
- Inspect your ductwork. If you have any leaks in your ducts, you lose substantial conditioned air to places where you don't need it. If the ducts are hard to inspect, contact an HVAC professional who has the tools and training to do the job.
- Have your air conditioner maintained each season. Technicians bring the equipment back to factory standards as much as possible, helping it run more efficiently.
Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning has provided HVAC services for the Fort Wayne area since 1963. Contact us to learn more about lowering your energy bills this summer.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy bills and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Hartman Brothers services New Haven, IN and the surrounding Fort Wayne area. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!