Ways to Save on Air Conditioning This Summer

If your electric bill has gone up significantly these past few months, you might want to take a look at these.

Summer is kind of a pain in the butt sometimes. Especially when you live on the top floor of your apartment and five minutes without air conditioning will have you sweating bullets. My electric bill has more than doubled these past few months, and I know I'm not alone. I came across an article from Time offering up some advice to those of us trying to save a few bucks, and I think it could possibly be helpful! Here are tips to saving money on your AC bill:

• Change your A/C filters - At minimum, you should be changing your air filter in your AC unit every three months, or every month if your system is continuously running. A dirty filter could add 5%-15% to your bill.
• Have your system serviced every year - Bring in a professional to service your unit annually, or to save more cash, watch an online tutorial on how to clean the coils and fins yourself.
• Don't set your thermostat too low - The human body can actually adapt to hot or cool temperatures with a couple of weeks, so if you can wait out the adjustment period, cranking up the temperature on your thermostat to the high 70s isn't such a bad idea. For every degree you raise the temp, you can cut about 3% off your bill.
• Use your fans - If you have fans in your home, keep them on when the AC is running. It takes some of the burden off your system by helping to keep the cool air circulating (counterclockwise is best).
• Close the air vents in unoccupied rooms - If you're not using a room on a day-to-day basis, there's no need to keep the air cranked up in the there. Also, close closet doors so they don't swallow up your air, as well.
• Make sure your AC vents aren't being blocked - If your vents are being blocked by furniture or curtains, that limits air circulation, making your unit work harder than it needs to.
• Use your blinds/curtains - Blocking the sun's rays will prevent excess heat in your home.

For more info on ways to save on your AC unit, click HERE.

[Via Time]