Learn about Reducing the Air Conditioning Costs for Your Home

Homeowners face many frustrating parts while working on their cooling bill solutions. For example, many homeowners already keep the thermostat turned up, which creates a warm and humid home. Therefore, reducing cooling bills and improving home comfort means making home upgrades.

Reducing Cooling Bills Means Reducing Lost Air to the Outside

First, homeowners must understand that during the air conditioning season, homes lose air to the outside. All summer long, cooled air escapes the home via the many gaps, cracks and voids in your home. This costs homeowners large amounts of air conditioning dollars.

Reducing Cooling Bills Means Increasing Insulation

In addition to the large amount of cool air escaping from your home during the summer, most homes do not have enough insulation to slow the heat gain from your home’s attic, walls and floors. This high rate of heat gain can cause uncomfortable conditions, condensation problems and high air conditioning bills.

Reducing Cooling Bills Means Sealing Air Leaks

Another reason for high air conditioning costs is when the cool air from your air conditioner is allowed to escape to the outside before it can cool your home. Air leaks in ductwork can lose some of the cooled air before it ever has a chance to air condition your home. This cold air from your air conditioning system is expensive but is too often lost to the outside before it has a chance to cool you on a hot day.

Reducing Cooling Bills Means Installing Efficient ACs

New residential central air conditioners are required to be rated for efficiency in terms of SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. A central air conditioner that operates at 15 SEER removes 15 BTU’s for each watt of electricity consumed vs a 10 SEER central air conditioner that removes 10 BTU’s for each watt of electricity consumed. GreenHomes recommends central air conditioners have a 15 SEER efficiency rating or higher when replacing an older air conditioning system.

Reducing Cooling Bills Means Using a Programmable Thermostat

Cooling bills can also be lowered by using a programmable thermostat to increase the indoor temperature at night or during the day when no one is home. Adjusting temperatures during nighttime or during unoccupied periods will save additional money on cooling bills.

Reducing Cooling Bills Means Fixing Leaky Windows

Old, inefficient, leaky windows can also contribute to high cooling bills and poor comfort conditions in homes during the summer. New windows are rated in terms of Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). SHGC measures how well a window can resist heat gain, which is especially important during summer cooling season in southern climates. The lower the number, the less heat will be coming into the home from the sun’s rays.