If you suffered from an irregularly big electric bill this past summer, you might be wondering how you can take measures to lower it for next year. While you likely rely on air conditioning to cool your home in light of the hot Texas air, continual use of your air conditioning can cause more energy usage leading to more you have to pay the electric company. But sometimes, this cannot be helped; you want to feel comfortable and not sweaty when living in your home.
With that said, here are three things to do if your electric bills during the summer are too much to handle.
Maintain Your Air Conditioning
You can get a lot of mileage out of your A/C unit. If you have had your air conditioner for over a decade, it will start to lose efficiency. When this happens, it will draw more power in order to meet performance standards. Every now and then, coils, condensers, and filters, must be cleaned and replaced so that your unit can continue to work efficiently. If your A/C unit is still giving you trouble despite what you are doing to maintain it, consider a new air conditioner courtesy of A/C repairs Houston. New air conditioners require less power than ever before to achieve the same satisfying results you expect.
Many can consider using their air conditioner less often, and occasionally have their window open and fans turned on. We only recommend doing so during cool days, which don’t come around often in Texas during the summer. As for fans, they don’t make the air cooler, they just spread air around. Albeit, they are definitely useful to use when it is cool out and your windows are open.
Keep Your Vents Open
The common belief is that closing your air vents will reduce the energy costs in your home. In actuality, closing them actually causes you to spend more energy. Feel free to leave open your vents so that your system doesn’t need to work harder to get air inside each room in your house. With open vents, you are letting air properly circulate without your air conditioning unit needing to improvise from these changes that you are making to it.
Make A Decision About Washing Your Clothes
Aside from the air conditioner, the washing machine is arguably the biggest source of power and energy use in the home. If you have a top-loader washing machine, it will need more power and water compared to a front-loader. Front-loader washing machines cost more than top-loaders, but top-loaders will cause your electric bills to go higher with continuous use.
If you have a top-loader washing machine, there are a few things you can do to save money with it. The first is to replace it with a front-loader, but it is understandable if you do not wish to do that. Secondly, you can consider replacing hot water with cold water. Using hot water will require to use your water heater, thus requiring more power. The third method is to not use your dryer; only when it’s raining outside. Instead, opt to air-dry your washed clothes. Install an old-fashioned clothesline in the backyard and let nature dry your clothes for you.