8 Home Cooling Money Saving Tips

You wouldn’t know it based on the weather we’ve been seeing here in southeastern MA, but summer is a little more than a month away – and with it, eventually, will come those hot, muggy New England days and nights.

When that weather arrives, you’ll probably be cranking your central A/C to stay comfortable, and you’ll have the energy bills to show for it. The question is how do you keep those bills as manageable as possible without breaking the bank?

Here are eight great ways to do it.

1. Install window treatments.  Nearly one-third of the unwanted heat in your home comes through your windows, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Adding shades, blinds or film to cover windows can lower temperatures in your home substantially, reducing the cooling load on your central AC. If you’re in your home for the long run, planting trees can provide enough shade to drop indoor temperatures by 10 degrees or more.
2. Be smart with your sheets. Using breathable cotton sheets for the summer will keep you cooler, especially if you dampen them – a little trick the Egyptians used to use to stay cool in the desert. Buckwheat pillows are great for cooling, too: the natural spaces between their hulls will help dissipate your body heat rather than concentrating it the way a conventional pillow will.
3. Supplement with ceiling fans – Use ceiling fans to keep air flowing and create a wind-chill effect throughout the house – just remember to keep them running counter-clockwise for the best cooling action (see your fan’s instruction manual for details on how to reverse the spin of your blades).
4. Keep your body cool – Choose light-colored clothing made from lightweight, breathable fabric, drink cold drinks, and cool off with a shower or bath to stay comfortable. Keeping a bowl of cool water near your bed will give you a quick way to cool off your feet on a hot night.
5. Move your bed – Hot air rises, so consider sleeping in lower levels in the house on hot nights – or move your mattress to the floor.
6. Replace incandescent light bulbs – Did you know that nearly 90 percent of the energy that a conventional tungsten light bulb produces is emitted as heat rather than light? That makes a lamp that uses those bulbs a mini-space heater. By contrast, LEDs produce almost no heat – yet another reason to install them everywhere in your house.
7. Don’t use heat-making appliances indoors – Why add to the cooling load of your home unnecessarily? Cook on your outdoor propane grill, and dry clothes on a line rather than with your dryer to cut down energy use.
8. Maintain your central air conditioner – Let’s face it: there will be days and nights that no cooling measure will tame the heat here in New England. On those days, you’ll want to have a central air conditioner that’s as effective and efficient as possible. To make sure your A/C is reliable and working at its best, have it maintained by the pros at W.H. Riley & Son.

   Our experts will:

   • inspect your system to look for operating issues
   • check any electrical connections and voltage
   • carefully lubricate moving parts
   • make sure there is enough refrigerant for your cooling system to work properly
   • and more!

For expert air conditioning service in southern Massachusetts, trust the pros at W.H. Riley & Son. Contact us today to schedule your A/C maintenance today!