Here in Minnesota, we tend to think of energy savings in terms of heat. But as summer swings into gear, it’s just as important to stay cool efficiently. The cost of keeping your home cool is one of the most variable energy cost - an efficient home can spend $10 a month on cooling costs, while their neighbor could be spending up to $500 to achieve the same temperature in a less efficient home.
This summer, we’ll be sharing some tips on beating the heat. This first article on cool savings focuses on setting up your home to save energy before summer begins. We will follow up with articles on staying cool in the kitchen, coping with hot days and other ways to avoid big cooling costs.
1. Pull the curtains
Curtains not only change the look of a room, but also reduce the heat from the sun. White curtains and mini-blinds reflect heat especially well. These blinds can reduce solar heat gain in your home by 40-50 percent.
Be sure to put up curtains on the south (towards Hastings) and west (towards Minneapolis) facing windows. These sides receive the majority of sunlight during the day.
2. Clean the AC
Spring cleaning isn’t just for garages. If you have an air conditioner, clean and clean regularly. An air conditioner’s dust build-up can reduce your cool air by 1 percent per week.
If you have a window unit, simply remove the filter and replace or vacuum it clean on a regular basis. Check to see that the unit is properly installed and seal any leaks around the unit and the window.
If you have central air, you can also start by cleaning out the filter. This step alone can increase your air conditioner’s efficiency significantly.
Feeling a bit more ambitious? Clean the outdoor unit to save even more.
- First, be sure to turn off the power. There is normally a shut-off panel mounted on the house wall next to the outdoor compressor. Otherwise, shut off the air conditioner's circuit at the main electrical panel.
- Then, carefully vacuum the outside fins around the outdoor unit with a soft brush attachment, being cautious not to bend the fins. If you accidentally damage the fins, you can always fix them with a special fin brush from your local hardware store.
- Finally, remove the top of the unit to vacuum the condenser coils. Some people also use a garden hose to clean out the coils. If you choose this method, be careful not to spray any of the mechanical parts.
Clean filters every month during the cooling season to keep your system efficient.
3. Tape those ducts
Just like heat, leaks in ducts can account for up to 30% of a home’s cooling bill. Increase your bill savings by sealing all air conditioner ducts with duct tape. Metal-based duct tape seals better than the more common vinyl.
Identify leaks by running the air conditioner and feeling for air along the duct. You can also use using a smoke generator to see where air is moving. An air conditioning specialist can conduct a blower test to identify leaks and help to seal air leakage.
4. Time the Cool
Leaving the house? Purchase a programmable thermostat (around $30) to automatically reduce temperature while you’re gone to work. Lowering the temperature without turning off the unit prevents wasting energy to recool when you return. Don't have a programmable thermostat? Set your thermostat up to 78-80 degrees when you leave and return to a comfortable level when you return.
5. Keep it in
Install weather-striping and efficient insulation to keep all that cool air in. You can increase these savings by opening windows at night and closing them during the day to keep in this cool air.
These five tips can set you up to save money and energy when the hot weather hits. Yet setting up can be just the beginning to cool savings this summer. Stay tuned for the next update, cool savings in the kitchen.