Illustration by David Clark
Let’s say you’re taking a walk. You’re strolling on a flat path, taking an easy pace. You don’t even break a sweat.
Now, let’s say that path reaches an incline, and that walk becomes more of a hike. It takes more effort to keep moving—you’re huffing and puffing, and your legs are burning. You need more oxygen and more calories to fuel you.
You’re not so different from your air conditioning unit.
Whether it’s a comfy spring evening or a sweltering summer afternoon—a flat path or a grueling hill—your air conditioner will work as hard and as often as necessary to cool your home to the temperature you set on your thermostat. The greater the difference between the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature you set, the harder your AC must work. That means more energy is needed to fuel your unit’s effort, and more dollars are due on your power bill.
Many factors affect the cost of your electricity each month, including the age of your home, the efficiency of your appliances and the increasingly expensive cost of fuel and supplies your co-op uses to bring electricity to your home. But one thing is firmly in your control: how you use your thermostat. And it makes a big difference, especially as summertime heats up.
The more you minimize the difference between the outdoor temperature and the setting on your thermostat, the more you’ll save on energy costs. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat between 75–78 degrees during the daytime in the summer. If that feels too toasty to you, that’s OK. Even raising your normal thermostat setting by a couple of degrees can make a noticeable difference in how much energy it takes to cool your home.
Besides raising your thermostat, here are other energy-efficient ways to help your home feel cooler and minimize the hill your air conditioner has to climb this summer:
- Use ceiling fans to create a cooling breeze while you’re in a room. A high-speed fan can keep you comfortable even as you turn up your thermostat a few degrees. Make sure your fans are set to turn counterclockwise in the summer, and turn them off when you leave a room.
- Keep window coverings such as blinds and curtains closed during the day to block out the sun’s heat.
- Change your air filters regularly (roughly every one to three months, depending on the type of filters you use and the conditions in your home), and schedule regular maintenance for your cooling equipment to keep it operating as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Your co-op is here to help. Call if you ever have questions.