Saving Energy At Home

After a relatively mild spring, summer has arrived in greater Jacksonville. The next 2-3 months will be the hottest and most humid of the year. Many homeowners have turned up their A/C, and turned up their electric bill in the process. Today I’ll share some tips homeowners can do themselves that will help keep their electric bill down.

Your air conditioning is working double time right now to keep up. Changing your air conditioning filters regularly is the simplest thing you can do to help your unit work better. A dirty air filter makes your unit work harder and shortens its life. Also, examine your outside A/C unit and clear any debris or bushes that may be crowding it. A free flow of air around the outside unit allows it to work most efficiently.

Sun blazing through your windows raises temps that your A/C must then cool. Blinds, curtains, or a combination, can keep the sun from warming rooms with a southern or western exposure. Nobody wants to live in a cave but blocking your windows till the sun subsides really helps. My son’s room is always 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the home due to a western exposure. Pulling a blackout curtain closed when he leaves in the morning has been a huge improvement.

Inside your home, if you step back from any exterior door and can see daylight along the top, bottom, or sides, then your door is not fully sealed. Door sweeps wear out and weather stripping gets old and compressed with age and must be replaced. Both come in a variety of styles. Look at what your doors currently have and replace with a similar product.

Programming your thermostat also helps if your home is empty for a good portion of the day while occupants are at work or school. Programming your thermostat is perfect for allowing the temperature to rise (less cooling) when nobody is home. It then cools your home back down at the programmed time in anticipation of your arrival home, saving energy in the process.

A final energy saving tip is to check out LED lighting. This technology was very expensive when it first hit the market, but as this technology has matured prices have come down considerably. LED lighting can be up-to 75% more energy efficient than an incandescent bulb, and they do not put off heat. Most homes have dozens of bulbs throughout and this savings can really add up.

We have a long road ahead until cooler temps, so consider which of these items are right for your home and see which make sense in your home. If you don’t have the time, desire or personal energy to do these things yourself, then call Mr. Handyman. We can install curtain rods and blinds of your choosing, replace weather stripping and door sweeps, and replace their hard to reach light bulbs for you.