Save on your Home Energy Bills

Is your monthly energy bill too high? Then it might be time to take a look at simple yet effective ways to lower the cost. The best place to start is with the utility that makes up the most significant percentage of your bill. The cost of running an air conditioning unit makes up about 29 percent of the average household’s annual energy bill, making this utility the single largest contributing factor to a high energy bill. Replacing an aging AC unit for a newer model with a higher SEER rating is likely to make the most significant difference in decreasing the total of your monthly bill. There are other, less expensive ways to go about saving on your air conditioning costs as well. In fact, simply programming your thermostat to operate in an efficient manner could result in huge savings.

How Do You Set Your Thermostat to Save Energy?

The key to finding the right setting for a thermostat in any home is remembering that the less the difference between the temperature set on the thermostat and the ambient temperature outdoors, the better. This means you’ll likely need different programming plans for both the warmer summer and cool winter months. In the winter, setting your thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re home and awake is the most efficient way to keep your home comfortable. During the summer months, it’s recommended that setting your thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit provides the best balance between comfort and efficiency.

These are good base settings to work with throughout the seasons, and just making these changes could save you a considerable amount of cash on your monthly Phoenix energy bill. However, to make your savings even more noticeable, program further changes to your thermostat based on when you expect to be out of the house or asleep. When you’re asleep or during the day when you and your family are at work or school, set the thermostat to run 7 to 10 degrees warmer in the summer or cooler in the winter to keep your energy costs even lower.

How Much Energy Can You Save?

By keeping your thermostat at reasonable levels and setting your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees warmer or cooler for 8 hours each day, you could save as much as 10 percent on your annual energy bill. According to the official Energy Star website, this often means savings of around $180 for the average household in the United States each year, at an average of $15 each month.

Of course, how much you save depends on a wide number of factors regarding your home and your air conditioning unit itself. Some of these include:

• The size and layout of your home
• The age of your air conditioning unit
• The model and size of your unit
• General maintenance of your unit and related parts

To ensure you’re getting the most savings possible with these changes to your thermostat settings, ensure you’re putting in the necessary year-round work to keep your unit running smoothly. This means completing simple tasks such as outdoor cleanups and changing your air filters as well as scheduling regular inspections and maintenance from your HVAC repair companies in Phoenix.

Is it More Efficient to Keep the Thermostat at a Constant Temperature?

While this is a commonly-held belief among many homeowners, the fact is that keeping your thermostat at a constant temperature, even when you’re not home, rarely saves energy. The justification of this thought process is that your HVAC unit will have to work more to heat or cool your home after it’s been warmer or cooler for an extended period of time. However, maintaining a constant temperature simply means your unit will be working harder throughout the hottest or coldest parts of the day. It wastes energy when you and your family aren’t even around to enjoy the comfortable temperatures that hard work produces.

Does Turning the Thermostat On and Off Save Money?

Turning your air conditioning system completely off while you’re away and then back on when you come home seems like it could save you money, but in fact, it could cost you even more than simply adjusting your thermostat. If you turn the system off entirely, the interior of your home may heat or cool far too much, meaning your HVAC unit needs to work at full blast when you turn it back on. Additionally, turning your thermostat off entirely may lead to issues with other environmental factors. Your heating and cooling systems help to control moisture within your home, discouraging the development of condensation and potentially even mold growth on walls and other surfaces throughout each room. Instead of turning off your unit altogether, just stick to the plan of keeping the thermostat set warmer or cooler when your family will be away.

Work With the Pros to Reduce Your Energy Bill

Ensure your system is running smoothly throughout the year to get the most of your temperature control efforts by contacting Howard Air & Plumbing in Phoenix to schedule an annual inspection and tune-up. This team has the experience and know-how to ensure you’re getting the best performance and best price out of your Phoenix HVAC system so you can enjoy your savings in peace.

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