The heating and ac system of any residence utilizes more than half of the electricity. However, in order to save money this large expense there are several things which do not cost much or any money to minimize this monthly expense. The biggest aspect to realize would be that the homeowner is the one in control over the thermostat settings! Simply by altering a handful of behaviors can conserve some initial money too. You may be cooling your home, but the fossil fuels you’re burning along the way are equally making the summers hotter. Also, in the big picture of cooling the interior of ones Irvine CA residence includes helping to keep the cool air in and the hot sun out.
AC Repair Irvine’s Tips to Keep a Home Cool
The following are not in any particular order so go ahead and skip around:
1. Set your thermostat between 78 and 80 degrees when at home throughout the the summer time. Raise the temperature 7 degrees higher whenever you leave the home for a number of hours. Increase the temperature 4 degrees higher when you go to sleep. It’s going to be wise to use programmable thermostat to make sure you don’t need to manually change it throughout the day. Also, prior to leaving for vacation, turn your thermostat up to 85 degrees or higher rather than cooling your house when you’re not going to be home.
2. A ceiling fan is a really terrific choice for your home. This particular appliance makes room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler, and even the most power-hungry fan is less expensive than Ten dollars per month to operate for those who keep it on for Twelve hours on a daily basis, not that it would need to be operating that long. Good fans permit you to raise the thermostat setting and decrease air conditioning bills. Fans do not use a lot of power, but when air is circulating, it feels colder. Ceiling fans are best, but a good portable fan can be very effective too. In fact air movement of 1 mph is likely to make one feel three or four degrees cooler. For ceiling fans, ensure it is turned for summer and revolves in a clockwise direction for summer cooling, the air blows downward. People can seem to be Five degrees cooler when air all around them is moving. Lastly, don’t overlook to turn off fans each time you leave the room!
3. Run your air conditioning system fan on low. This is particularly useful in areas with high summer humidity. The low air volume helps your air conditioning equipment dehumidify.
4. Keep electronic devices and things that create heat away from your thermostat. Don’t allow a closely positioned TV or water heater to convince your thermostat that it is hotter than it happens to be.
5. Utilize dehumidifier. Energy Star says a 40-pint unit will save about $20 per year and lasts up to a decade. Moderating your property’s humidity – along with making you feel cooler – will reduce musty smells and the growth of unhealthy molds. Try not to use a dehumidifier concurrently with your air conditioner is operating. The dehumidifier will raise the cooling load and force the air conditioner to operate harder.
6. Inspect your air filter monthly, specifically through the summer and winter, and replace dirty filters that will make your system work harder and waste energy.
7. Perform home energy audit of your cooling and heating system.
8. Have your hvac system checked out and cleaned twice yearly, spring and fall usually, by licensed professional. Coolant levels ought to be examined annually also. An expert can also clean and lubricate the system. Without annual service, your air conditioner will lose about 5 percent efficiency each year – more if the coolant is low. Use Puron or some other non-CFC coolant.
9. This seems self-explanatory, but keep shut outside windows and doors whenever your air conditioner is on to hold the heat out and minimize the air conditioner’s operating time.
10. Contemplate upgrading the air conditioning unit if it’s Ten years or older. Remember that suitable sizing and quality installation are crucial to your home’s energy efficiency. Researchers have found that a majority of central air conditioning systems are over sized by 50 % or more. Or, should you have an older central air conditioner, consider updating the outdoor compressor with a modern, high-efficiency unit. Make certain that it is accurately paired to the indoor unit. In hot, humid climates, make certain that the air conditioner you buy will properly do away with high humidity. Models with variable or multi-speed blowers are typically ideal for trying to keep moisture sources out of the house.
11. Repair leaks in your air duct system and be sure to insulate the duct work too, specifically in unheated basements, crawl spaces, and attics.
12. Prevent air leaks and stop unneeded air infiltration around the house by adding caulk around window frames and weather-stripping around door frames.
13. Utilize low cost foam gaskets behind the faceplate of all electric sockets and light switches for the ones that are found on an exterior wall. It may possibly not seem like a lot, but it does help.
14. Consider acquiring professional air blower test from us .
15. Examine the insulation in your attic. Poorly insulated attics could possibly lose up to Forty percent of the cool air in a house. The advised level of insulation for an attic ranges depending on the location one lives in. The larger the R-value, the better your attic resists the heat and cold.
16. Replace old windows with ENERGY STAR® windows and reduce your energy bill by as much as 15 percent.
17. Keep 2 to 3 foot clearance around your outside air conditioning unit to assure adequate circulation. At the same time, one can plant trees or shrubs to shade an air conditioning unit, but not block the airflow. A unit functioning in the shade uses less electricity.
18. Close window blinds and curtains to keep the hot sun out and reduce heat inside the house. Obviously, one ought to raise the shades and open curtains during winter months to allow in the sun’s warmth and produce passive solar heating. White window shades or mini-blinds are considered the best color to use for it reflects heat from the house. Mini-blinds are able to reduce solar heat gain by 40-50 percent. Close south and west-facing curtains during the day. For any window that gets direct sunlight, keep these windows shut, as well.
19. Install awnings on south-facing windows, where there exists inadequate roof overhang to offer shade. They will block the angle of the sun coming through the window through the summer while permitting the lower angled winter sun to come in and warm the household.
20. To go a step further, hang tightly woven screens or bamboo shades outside the window throughout the summer season to stop Sixty to eighty percent of the sun’s heat from getting to the windows.
21. Install solar screens and solar film on windows in reducing heat infiltration. Low-e films are a wonderful choice. Solar screens can be taken off during the winter.
22. Take into consideration window infills – a new technology that fills the space between panes with krypton or argon, gasses that have lower conductivity than air, and which boost R-values.
23. The landscaping used around the home can lower indoor cooling energy use and reduce costs also. Looking to nature for tips will take you far in your home cooling initiatives. Planting crawling vines over the south and west sides of your home or on trellises in front of windows can help insulate the house also. This can be done with edible vines just like grapevines, for additional utility.
24. Trees and shrubs reduce direct sunlight on your home and its effects on the temperature inside your home. Deciduous trees help shade the house from the hot summer sun, and when they drop their leaves in the winter, they will assist in passive solar heating then. For example just 3 trees, properly located around a house, can conserve between $100 and $250 annually in cooling and heating expenses, and daytime air temperatures can be 3 degrees to 6 degrees cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods.
25. Steer clear of landscaping with all sorts of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides as it raises the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.
26. If your house is in need of a paint, consider lighter colors which deflect instead of absorb the light.
27. Light-colored roof shingles also help reduce any heat absorption by deflecting sunlight. A cool roof lowers the surface temperature and cuts down the degree of heat transferred into your home.
28. Keep cooling vents unobstructed. Check registers to make certain they’re not blocked by furniture or other stuff.
29. On hot days, don’t utilize the stove. Try to use an outdoor grill or microwave oven (which cooks food directly) for cooking.
30. Wash and dry clothes when the day is cool. Do laundry early in the day and late at night. Do not forget clotheslines for they do not produce heat in the house. Humidity makes room air feel warmer, so reduce indoor humidity. Minimize mid-day washing and drying clothes, and showering. And when you must do these things, turn on ventilating fans to help extract warm, moist air.
31. Bypass your dishwasher’s dry cycle. Rack your dishes and allow them to air dry instead.
32. Open the bathroom window when showering. Vent heat and humidity outside, as opposed to back into the home. Keep the bathroom door closed as well.
33. Give some thought to opening the windows at night. Reap the benefits of naturally cool night air when possible, and open multiple windows to increase cross ventilation and provide a cooling draft.
34. Reduce the use of incandescent and halogen lights. About 90 % of the energy utilized is turned into heat and only 10 % goes to giving light. Exchange incandescent bulbs with high efficiency CFLs, and start by exchanging the bulbs that are used frequently. CFLs use one-third the energy of incandescent bulbs and last 10 times as long.
35. You can help remove unwanted heat through ventilation if the temperature of the incoming air is 77 F or lower. (This strategy works most effectively at night and on cooler days.) Window fans for ventilation are a good option if used properly. They should be found on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Interior doors must remain open to make it possible for air flow. Heat rises so opening several of the higher windows can allow warmth to easily circulate out of your rooms. Opening both a high and low window can allow the Bernoulli effect (the same principle that allows airplanes to fly) to create a breeze through any room that sucks in cool air and releases the hot – perfect solution to those hot humid days!
36. Hang a damp sheet in front of an open window and let it dry. The air and moisture has a nice cooling effect.
37. Dress in natural fabric clothing. Cotton, hemp, and linen fabrics breathe a lot better than synthetic fibers not to mention wick moisture away from the body. Wear short-sleeved, loose clothing.
38. Watch your food consumption. Eat salads and sandwiches instead of large, protein-rich meals when the weather is hot, as these can warm your body up.
39. Avoid dehydration. Avoid alcohol and caffeine in the heat, as these can enhance dehydration. Drink more water than normal or consider an electrolyte replacement drink if you’re sweating a lot.
40. Cool the body off with water. Soak your feet in a tub of cold water, put on a wet bandana, or take a cool shower. Keep a spray bottle of water in the refrigerator and spritz yourself regularly throughout the day.
41. Check your refrigerator settings. The fridge takes heat out of your food and transfers it to your kitchen, so be sure you’re running it efficiently. The refrigerator works best when set between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the freezer around 5 degrees.
42. Turn off your furnace pilot light. You can re-light it in the fall.
43. Shut the fireplace damper. Don’t send cool air up the chimney. If your fireplace has a glass door, shut it.
44. Insulate interior hot water pipes. There’s no point in heating your room air in addition to the water. If it’s indoors, wrap your electric hot water heater with an approved insulator. Gas heaters should be insulated by professionals.
45. Improve attic ventilation. It can get up to 140 degrees in your attic during the summer. Adding an electric fan or wind turbines will move some of this unwanted heat away from your living space. A solar attic fan decreases the hot air trapped in the space, making the home easier to cool and can decrease your home cooling bill by up to 10 % a year.
46. Replace gas appliances with efficient electric units.