It’s summer time! The sentence that brings joy to almost everything except for your utility bill. Rising temperatures often reflect a rise in your utility bills as well. Wouldn’t you much rather be using that extra money to plan a family vacation? Let’s talk about some tips to keep your home as energy efficient as possible this summer season.
Program Your Thermostat
Technology is so advanced now that you may have a programmable thermostat! If you don’t, it might be time to look into getting one installed. This allows you to set your thermostat at different temperatures throughout the day. Most people like to be cooler at night so you can turn your thermostat down a couple degrees in the evening and program it to increase a few degrees during the day. Oftentimes, you won’t even notice the difference in the day time. This can improve your utility bill every month this summer!
Close Your Curtains and Blinds
Do you love your windows? Who wouldn’t? They are beautiful and let in natural light. One thing they are not great at is keeping the sun out of our homes. Keeping your curtains and blinds closed can help your house stay cooler. This tip can be pretty simple since there are probably rooms that go unused during the daytime in your home. Keeping your curtains and blinds closed helps your air conditioning unit to work easier and saves you money each month.
Your Ceiling Fan is Your Friend 
Even if you have your AC on, using your ceiling fans to keep air circulating is a great way to keep your utility bill down. The circulation of the air will help you to feel cooler and you might be comfortable enough to turn your thermostat down a few degrees. A ceiling fan can cool a room approximately four degrees. That being said, ceiling fans can be turned off when you are not in the room. Ceiling fans cool rooms, not people, so they are most useful and energy efficient to cool you off while you are in the room itself.
Keep Your Lights Off
With summer comes more sun! As we talked about, you should keep your curtains and blinds closed during the day in rooms that you are not using. In rooms that you are using, however, open those up and use the sun to your advantage. There is no need to turn the lights on in your house if you can do everything by the natural daylight coming in through your windows. Try to utilize this tip specifically in rooms of your home when they are not in direct sunlight.
Do Chores Early & Late: Not During Peak Hours
Utility companies might charge a premium to use energy at peak times during the day. That means that you can actually pay less for energy when you use it during cooler times in the day. Early in the morning and later at night are the times in the day when you should tackle your chores. Think about this in terms of chores that use larger appliances: laundry, dishes, or cooking. It might be worth it to delay dinner by an hour and do your laundry before 10am or after 8pm to keep your utility costs down.
Enjoy & Be Smart!
Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors and get out of your house! Anytime you are gone, make sure to turn your thermostat down to keep your costs down. As much as we love the sunshine, the utility bills can be a real damper each month. Follow these tips to keep your home energy efficient all summer long!
