Frugal Family: Saving Money When Cooling Your Home

With highs in the mid- to upper-70s this week, many people would say the weather's just about perfect.  But, we all know that in Atlanta, we'll be facing the sweltering heat of 90- and 100-degree days before much longer.  Plan now in order to cool your home most efficiently and affordably this summer.

According to Austin Energy, in the southern states, air conditioning can be 60-70% of your electricity bill in the hot summer months.  Each degree that you set your thermostat below 78 will increase your energy use by 3 or 4%.  Ouch!

No one is advocating that you try to get through the summer without running your air conditioning, though.  But, there are ways to save on that bill while maintaining your cool.

Michael Bluejay (aka "Mr. Electricity") is a big advocate of ceiling fans.  Ceiling fans, he says, "can make you feel 3 to 8 degrees cooler."  They cost less than a penny an hour to run, compared to air conditioning, which is 70 times more expensive.   A few things to keep in mind about ceiling fans:

- Fans don't actually make the air cooler.  They just blow away the warm air that is surrounding/radiating from your body.  If you're sweating, the blowing of a fan will speed the evaporation, which will also help cool you off.

- Since fans don't make the air cooler, there is no point to leaving them running if you're not in the room.  Turn them off, along with the lights, to save energy!

- When running a ceiling fan, make sure it's spinning the right way.  For most fans, this means counterclockwise (if you're standing under it, looking up).  Another way to check is to turn the fan on full blast and stand under it.  Then, turn the fan off, flip the reverse switch, and do it again.  When the fan is blowing the correct way, you'll feel a big gust of cool air.  The other way, you'll feel movement but not the gust.  In summer, you want that blast of cool air, but in winter, reverse it to help push the warmer air back down to the lower part of the room. 

When you do need to run the air conditioning (and let's face it, we're in Atlanta, so you will), there are a few things to keep in mind that will help save on energy costs:

- Close registers in unused rooms.  This allows the air conditioner to focus its energy on blowing cold air to the rooms you frequent.

- Clean or replace your filter every month.  A dirty filter makes your air conditioner work harder.  The disposable filters can add up quickly, price-wise, so consider investing in a reusable one from the local home improvement store.  These can be cleaned with a garden hose rather than replaced every month.

- Shade your condensor or window unit.  An air conditioner in the shade uses 10% less electricity than one placed in direct sunlight.  When you're shading it, though, make sure you're not blocking it.  Units blocked by tall grasses and other debris can experience restricted air flow, which causes them to use more electricity.

- Clean your air conditioner's coils at the beginning of each season (clean your refrigerator coils while you're at it, to save even more energy).  The outside ones can be washed with a garden hose, but leave the cleaning of the inside coils to a specialist. 

- Turn your air conditioner off when you're going to be gone more than a couple hours.  Contrary to popular belief, it takes less energy to cool your house from 90 to 78 degrees than to maintain it at 78 when it's 90 outside.

Finally, a few more frugal tips for keeping your home cool this summer:

- Use drapes or blinds to block direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day.  Direct sunlight can raise the temperature of a room by 10 to 20 degrees.

- Make sure doors and windows are well sealed to keep cool air in and warm air out.

- Reduce heat from lighting.  Compact fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescents, and they create 70-90% less heat.  They're a little more expensive up front, but they last much longer than standard incandescents, in addition to the energy savings they provide.  Keep in mind: regular incandescent light bulbs give off 10% light and 90% heat.  Compact fluorescents give off 90% light and 10% heat.

Is it time to replace your home's heating and cooling system?  If so, Georgia Power is offering a $100 rebate to customers who switch over from older models to an energy-efficient heat pump. Click for more info.