Additional tips for adding to summer HVAC savings

I think most of us who live in this region fully understand the most fundamental strategies out there for mitigating the high cost of HVAC cooling in the summer. If you live around here, HVAC cooling during the summer months are for sure the most expensive of the year. Our winter is thankfully quite mild. The heating costs are a mere shadow of what we pay for air conditioning. So it’s not a surprise to anybody that making sure the thermostat is reasonably set and keeping the house tight are very important. Those two actions are the foundation for anyone attempting to significantly cut the cost of the air conditioning during the summer. That said, there are plenty of other cost cutting strategies when it comes to dealing with HVAC cooling. For one, make sure the drapes are pulled to negate the effect of direct sunlight heating. Then there are fans. Fans use less than one tenth the amount of energy that the air conditioning uses. And they really work to trick the skin into feeling cooler. Cooking outdoors is yet another costs saving trick. Don’t add to the heat inside the house by using the stove or the oven when at all possible. Cooking on the grill and then preparing cold sides are the way to go in the summer. Also, replace the old bulbs with modern light bulbs. The difference in heat emitted is staggering. And maybe hang out the wash instead of using a dryer during the day. Again, why add to the heat and use that electricity when you don’t have to. Being creative with cost saving measures really adds up.

HVAC zone control