Air conditioners use more energy than anything else in your house during the summer months, and high energy costs can really take their toll over the course of the season. Consider these simple and effective operating tips to lower the cost of your A/C.

Use It Less

As simple as it sounds, the most effective way to reduce air conditioner costs is to use it less. Every degree higher you set your thermostat saves you money, so you should try to keep the temperature as warm as possible without making your house uncomfortable. Also, avoid running the A/C when nobody’s home.

Install a Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat saves you money by running your A/C only when you need it to. You can set a heating schedule based on your daily routine, so that your air conditioner shuts off while you’re out of the house, and kicks in again just before you return home.

Change Your Air Filters

Dirty filters make your air conditioner work harder, eating up energy and driving your cooling bills through the roof. During summer, A/C filters should be changed every one or two months, or whenever they get dirty.

Use A Fan

Fans — especially ceiling fans — use very little energy, and they create a gentle wind chill effect that makes your house feel cooler than it actually is. This allows you to use your air conditioner less without sacrificing comfort. Turn a fan on whenever you enter a room, then turn it off again when you leave to avoid wasting energy. You can also hook ceiling fans up to a motion sensor, allowing them to turn on and off automatically.

Close Some Registers

If you have a central air conditioner, you can save money by closing some of the air vents or registers in parts of your house that are seldom or never used. Avoid closing more than 60% of your registers, however, as this can cause overheating.

To learn more about how you can cut high energy costs in summer, contact Smoky Mountain Heating & Air.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about cutting high energy costs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Smoky Mountain Heating & Air services Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!