Knowing how to save on your electric bill in the summer is important, as rising temperatures can result in higher energy costs. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that the average home in the United States consumes 1,026 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each month between June and August.
Air conditioners (A/C), pool pumps and ceiling fans all contribute to high energy usage and potentially bigger bills. Windows that aren’t energy efficient, air leaks and heat produced by incandescent lamps and appliances can also add up.
Fortunately, summer energy conservation can be easy. All you need are some simple changes to your home and your daily habits. Below are 11 tips to help you beat the heat, stay cool and help save energy in the summer.
1. Regularly check your A/C unit
Of all the energy-saving tips for summer, ensuring your A/C system is running efficiently is the most likely to help lower your energy bill. When your A/C unit isn’t working properly, it may struggle to maintain a comfortable temperature, consuming more energy. Your systems won’t have to work as hard when they’re operating at peak condition. Spring is a good time to give your HVAC system a closer look and make any necessary repairs.
- Schedule regular maintenance for your cooling equipment. If you have an HVAC protection plan, or a home services plan, this service may be included.
- Clear vegetation and debris from around A/C units, so that they have free and open air flow.
- Make sure nothing is blocking your A/C vents.
- Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your thermostat. It may sense heat from these devices and cause your A/C to run longer than necessary.
- Upgrading to a new, energy-efficient HVAC system may pay for itself in energy savings. Switching to an energy-efficient A/C unit can reduce energy use by 20-40%. Look for high-efficiency ENERGY STAR® models and buy a unit that’s rated for the size for your living space.
2. Change air filters every month
Even when your A/C is running well, if you haven’t changed the air filter, you may be wasting electricity. A clogged filter can make your unit work harder to move air through the system. When thinking about keeping your electric bill down in the summer, changing air filters should be one of your first steps.
You should change your air filters in the fall and the spring, or every six months. If you live in a dusty environment, have pets, or suffer from allergies, you may wish to change them more often. Air filters are usually affordable and easy to change, so it makes sense to lean toward changing your air filter more frequently. Your inside air can become healthier, and so can your HVAC system.
3. Adjust your thermostat
You may find that your thermostat is a valuable tool when it comes to possibly saving on electricity. Here are summer energy-saving tips that use your thermostat to your benefit:
- Set your thermostat to the warmest temperature that you still find comfortable. The less difference between the inside and outside temperatures, the less your A/C has to work. A few degrees difference can have a major effect on your energy budget.
- When you’re away from home, set your thermostat to a higher temperature. You can enjoy the energy savings without sacrificing comfort. Most experts recommend you set your thermostat to 85°F when you’re away from home.
- Resist the urge to set your thermostat to a low setting when you first turn it on. You won’t actually cool your house any faster, and you will likely use more energy than necessary.
- You might benefit from trying to super cool your home. Program your thermostat to a very low temperature a few hours before dawn. Then set it to turn off your HVAC until early or mid-afternoon when temperatures rise closer to the upper edge of comfort. Not only does this extend the life of your HVAC system by allowing it to rest, you’ll be using less expensive, off-peak hours if you signed up on a time-of-use plan.
Strategies like raising your thermostat setting when you’re at the office or super cooling your home work best if you have a smart programmable thermostat. Some states and local governments offer rebates for installing these devices, which can sense small temperature differences, optimize how your A/C operates and help save on energy, making them well worth the investment.
4. Use fans in occupied rooms to supplement A/C
Fans are on many lists of summer electricity-saving tips. They’re an energy-efficient way to move air in your home and enhance your comfort. Using your ceiling fans with your A/C can optimize moving cooler air throughout the home more effectively, lightening the load on your HVAC system. Be sure to change the direction they rotate. Set them to move in a counterclockwise direction in the summer to push cool air down into living spaces, and the opposite in winter.
Aside from circulating cooler air, fans can add to your comfort through the wind chill effect—moving air wicks moisture from your skin and makes you feel colder. That’s why it’s said that fans cool people, not rooms. Be sure to pick the right size ceiling fan for each room, and turn them off when the room is empty to avoid wasting energy.
Energy-efficient fans play even more roles in summer energy conservation when used to vent heat and humidity from a bathroom or kitchen. Using attic fans that push hot air out and draw cool air up are another great option.
5. Unplug devices and turn off lights when not in use
Many modern devices, from coffee makers to gaming consoles, use standby power even when off. Some of these devices also generate heat while on standby mode. You can save electricity by ending this phantom energy use. Unplug unused devices that drain power and waste energy. Instead of unplugging each device, make it easier on yourself by plugging them into a power strip that you can simply turn off.
Turning off the lights when you leave a room is another way to conserve energy. Not only do you reduce the energy used, you mitigate the heat that those lights, if they’re incandescent bulbs, produce. Reducing excess heat is one of many benefits to using LED light bulbs.
6. Close your blinds, drapes and curtains
Sunlight shining through your windows creates a surprising amount of heat. Approximately 76% of sunlight that shines through standard double-pane windows enters the home as heat. While that’s a benefit in the winter, in summer it makes your A/C work harder.
Using energy-efficient window coverings with a white lining on the glass side, installed as closely as possible to your windows, can reflect a significant amount of heat back through the window. Window shades, drapes and blinds that reflect sunlight reduce the heat gain by 33%. Blinds, quilted roller shades and Roman shades also act as an insulating barrier.
Old-fashioned awnings that extend over and above windows can be an attractive way to further protect your interior from the heat of the sun. In addition to potentially reducing solar heat gain through windows, awnings can also provide shade for patios and other outdoor spaces. Properly installed window awnings can reduce solar heat gain by up to 65% on south-facing windows. Awnings over west-facing windows can provide even more protection, blocking up to 77% of heat gain.
If you don’t have the money to install energy-efficient windows, you can make existing windows more energy efficient by applying plastic film to filter out some of the heat and to block UV rays that fade textiles. And adding screens to your windows doesn’t just block insects from entering your home, it can reduce some of the sun shining into your rooms.
7. Instead of using the oven, grill outdoors
Cooking inside can raise your interior temperature considerably, making your A/C work harder. Before the days of air-conditioning, people often built “summer kitchens” in separate structures to keep the heat of cooking away from the main house.
If you can’t cook outside, using a microwave, toaster oven, air fryer, pressure cooker, or slow cooker may release less heat into your home than using your oven or range. Meals that don’t require any cooking at all are another way to keep the temperature down on hot days.
8. Reduce your home’s water usage
Reducing the amount of water your water heater must warm up is another way to save electricity and potentially lower your bill. When you use water strategically during hot months, you reduce the energy consumed.
- Take cool-water showers. You’ll feel fresher afterward and potentially lower how much hot water you use. An added benefit is reducing the humidity in your home. Low-flow shower heads can also help curb your hot water use.
- Wash your clothes in cold water. Modern machines and high-efficiency laundry detergent can make your clothes clean without wasting energy on hot water. Be sure to only run your washing machine with full loads.
- Run your dishwasher only when it’s full and avoid using the heated drying setting to conserve water and save energy.
- You may be able to lower the temperature of your water heater during the summer months, for even more energy conservation.
9. Use your dryer efficiently, or maybe not at all
Running your clothes dryer uses energy and heats up your house. That makes your A/C work harder to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. You can cut energy use with these summer energy-saving tips for doing laundry:
- Only run your dryer when you have a full load.
- Clean the lint trap after every use, so that the dryer is more efficient.
- Run your dryer at night when temperatures are cooler. If you have an energy plan that offers lower energy prices during off-peak hours, it may add to your savings.
- You might even consider air drying your clothes outside or on a drying rack over your tub to avoid creating dryer heat and using the energy necessary to run your dryer.
10. Use electricity during off-peak hours
When talking about saving on electricity costs, the time of day matters. Demand for power soars during the hottest hours of the day, generally mid-afternoon, driving up prices. At night, when temperatures are lower and people are asleep, energy demand falls, along with prices.
Many competitive electricity suppliers offer plans that let you benefit from these price swings, giving you a lower price per kWh when demand is lowest. Running your power-hungry appliances and devices during off-peak hours can lower your energy bill.
11. Seal and weatherproof your home
Gaps around windows, doors and vents allow cool air to escape, making your A/C work harder to keep your home comfortable. Taking the time to seal gaps in your home is an easy and potentially cheap way to stop drafts.
Block air leaks around windows and doors with weatherstripping. Use caulk and spray foam to insulate around windows and fill cracks. If you can afford it, installing ENERGY STAR® windows and doors can cut down on how much cool air your home loses.
Lastly, insulating your attic is an important tactic for potential savings on your electric bill in the summer. Insulation keeps heat in during the winter keeps heat out during the summer.
Conclusion
You don’t have to resign yourself to uncomfortably hot days or the excessive energy usage and cost that comes from constantly running your A/C. By using these energy-saving tips for summer, you can keep your home running more efficiently while also keeping the heat at bay.