5 Ways To Save On AC Costs

Energy bills in the summer months can get extremely expensive, and many homeowners look for ways to cut back on those costs. To help you save on your energy bills this summer, we’ve compiled 5 ways you can save on AC costs, including:

In the blog below, we’ll walk through these 5 tips in more detail, to give you a better idea of how you can start saving on AC costs.

One of the easiest ways to save money on AC costs is to install a smart thermostat. A smart thermostat can automatically adjust the temperature of your home depending on the schedule you set, which allows you to raise and lower the temperature throughout the day and night, potentially saving you on cooling costs.

For example, if you want your home to be 74 degrees while you’re home, but want to save money on cooling costs, you can set your smart thermostat to be at 80 degrees while you’re at work and automatically adjust to 74 degrees by the time you get home. In this example, your air conditioner wouldn’t have to work as hard for about 8-9 hours a day, which helps lower the cost of cooling.

Note: You can implement this type of money-saving tip without a smart thermostat by manually changing the temperature when you leave for the day and manually changing it back when you get home. However, by installing a smart thermostat, you don’t have to deal with the discomfort of entering a warmer home and waiting for your AC to cool it down. A smart thermostat also gradually lowers the temperature instead of turning it down at once, which puts less strain on your system.

If your duct system has any leaks, you could be spending much more on cooling costs than you should be. Your AC cools your home by drawing in warm air, cooling that air and then circulating the cooled air around your home via a duct system. If there are leaks in those ducts, some of that conditioned air is likely getting lost in the spaces the ducts run through, like crawl spaces, attics, etc. The more cooled air that is lost, the more cooled air your system has to produce to maintain the temperature you’ve set. And the harder your AC has to work, the more your energy bills will increase.

If you’ve noticed that your AC bills have increased for no noticeable reason and that your home is dustier lately, you may have some leaks in your duct system. A professional tech can evaluate your system to determine if there are any leaks and if they are large enough to consider sealing. Although sealing your ductwork does cost money, if you do have leaks, sealing them will increase the overall efficiency of your AC, reducing your monthly cooling costs, and likely extending the life of your system.

A great way to save a little on your AC bill is to turn the temperature up a bit and turn the ceiling fan on in whatever room you are in. While ceiling or portable fans don’t actually cool the air, they make you feel cooler by circulating the air around the room, which may allow you to still feel comfortable at a higher temperature while reducing your monthly AC bills.

A lot of heat can come through your windows, so it’s best if you have double pane windows installed. However, during hotter months, one way to reduce the temperature of your home is to cover your windows with blinds or drapes. The cooler the internal temperature of your home is, the easier it will be for your AC to meet the temperature you’ve set your thermostat to.

The best way to save money on your monthly AC bills is to invest in annual maintenance with a professional. AC systems are complex and have many different parts that all need to be working correctly for your system to run efficiently, and the more efficiently your system runs, the cheaper your AC bills will be.

Investing in an annual maintenance visit allows a tech to take a look at all of those parts and ensure that everything is working correctly and that your system is running as efficiently as possible. While it does cost money to have a professional maintain your AC system, it’s worth the investment. During a visit, a quality tech should catch any issues or inefficiencies, which will ultimately save you money on your monthly cooling bills and extend the life of your system.

A quality maintenance visit should include a clear checklist that proves the visit will be thorough. For example, at Michael & Son, we have a clear list of tasks we complete for both the indoor and outdoor units. These include things like:

• Checking the thermostat
• Confirming system operation
• Inspecting air filter
• Cleaning and inspecting the blower, blower motor, and blower compartment
• Spraying disinfectant inside the blower compartment and return
• Cleaning and inspecting the coil & pan & condensate drain
• Visually inspecting the fan blades and motor
• Tightening and checking all wiring and connections
• Checking the compressor and condenser fan amps and ratings
• Verifying that all safeties are connected and working
• Inspecting refrigerant lines, valves and ensure they're capped properly
• Reviewing age, condition, efficiency, and expected problems, concerns
• And more

Many HVAC companies will offer maintenance plans, which is generally more cost-effective than paying for one-off tune-ups. Regardless of whether you choose a plan or a one-time tune-up, make sure that you go with a highly-reviewed company that has a clear list of what is included in a maintenance visit.