Air conditioning is a great way to cool down your home, but it can also be expensive. Fortunately, there are some simple ways on how to use it economically and save money.
Use the right temperature setting
The first step in saving money on air conditioning is to use the right temperature setting. If you’re in a room that’s already cool, you don’t need it as cold as possible. In fact, setting your thermostat at 75 degrees will often help you save money on cooling costs.
Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when you’re home during the day, and lower it at night if you’ll be sleeping. You’ll still be comfortable while saving money by using less electricity from the power company.
Turn off when not in use
Turn off the air conditioner when you’re not home or asleep. Even in the winter, it’s important to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. In the winter, that means keeping it above freezing so pipes don’t freeze and burst. In the summer, it means keeping it well below 90 degrees Fahrenheit so that you don’t have to run the air conditioner all day long just to stay at comfortable temperatures.
Use fans instead of turning up the AC
Fans will circulate cool air throughout your home much faster than an air conditioner can, especially if there isn’t any humidity in the air. If you’ve got ceiling fans installed throughout your house, use them! And if you don’t have ceiling fans installed but want them, talk to an HVAC professional about installing them for you — they’re relatively inexpensive and can save you tons of money on your electric bill over time by keeping your home cooler without running the AC constantly!
Close doors and windows
Close doors and windows when using your central air conditioning system so that cool, conditioned air stays inside the house instead of being lost outside through open windows and doors. If you must leave an area while cooling is on, close any registers that lead into that room to reduce wasted energy cooling unused rooms in your home.
Econo/auto mode
This mode will automatically adjust according to the temperature of your room. If it’s too cold, then it will turn on and if it’s too hot, then it will turn off automatically after a few minutes so that you don’t waste energy unnecessarily. This mode is ideal for rooms where people spend most of their time in because it keeps the room at an optimal temperature all day long without wasting energy when nobody is actually using the room (e.g., during night).