 Buy Al's Books!
This Week's Project
 Archived Projects
Enter
a Keyword(s) above
and hit "Enter" to search
our Web site. |
 |
ENERGY
SUPER SAVERS
Tips
for your Air Conditioner
Weather in
the good ol' summertime puts quite a strain on everybody's pocketbook because
of the money it costs to air condition our homes. In fact, about 50% of
the total we spend on utility bills in the summer months goes for cooling.
While there's nothing we can do to control the weather, there are lots of
things we can do to lower our cooling costs, starting with the AC system
itself.
First,
start off each month with a clean filter.
If yours' is the throw-away king, replace it. If it's a permanent filter,
clean it. Let the monthly utility bill be your reminder. A clogged filter
cuts way down on the amount of cold air that your unit can deliver.
Check
the outside components of your cooling system.
The compressor is inside of this unit and is surrounded on two or three
sides with "fins" that encase coils. A fan in the middle pulls
air through these fins to aid in cooling those coils. If there is something
blocking the air flow, like grass clippings, weeds, vines, or pet hair,
your compressor is having to work harder and could just give up! That's
an expensive replacement that you can not do on your own. You can avoid
this by first, turning off the entire system at the circuit breaker box
and simply cleaning the fins. Water pressure from the garden hose will do
it. Give it time to dry before turning the power back on.
While
you can't control the heat outside, you can control the temperature inside
your house with the thermostat.
By setting it up to 78-degrees (F) you can still feel comfortable while
saving some energy. For each degree below that economy setting, you'll increase
your cooling costs by 8%! That means if you set if down to 72-degrees, it's
costing you 48% more to run.
With these
simple steps involving practically no outlay of case, you can cash in on
big summer savings!
Watch
for more energy-saving tips soon! |