Saving Money During a Heat Wave

In case the date on the calendar wasn’t enough of a clue that summer is upon us, those in the southwest are currently experiencing triple digit temperatures as part of a heat wave. Perhaps worse than the heat itself is the shockingly high electric bill that follows if you’re not careful. In order to beat the heat and save money in the process, here are some quick tips for you to follow:

Try using fans instead of AC

When the heat hits it’s always tempting to crank up the AC and bask in the cold air. While keeping cool is important for your comfort and health, running your air conditioning at full strength for a sustained period of time can also cost you a bundle. Instead you may want to consider utilizing oscillating fans or ceiling fans to help you cut back on your energy usage.

If you tend to spend most of your time in one room of your home (for example a home office) it doesn’t make much sense for you to pay to fill your entire house with cool air the whole day. Instead of running your central air, use fans that will help keep you comfortable while using a fraction of the energy. Alternatively you may want to combine the two methods: run your AC but at a higher setting than you normally would and supplement with fans where needed.

Draw the shades

Filling your home with natural light can be lovely but during a heat wave it’s also bringing a lot of warmth with it. Try to block out as much light as you can using blinds, shutters, shades, or anything else you can to help keep your home cool and rely on low-energy lamps for light instead. While it normally makes sense to turn off as many lights as possible, in this case the costs of cooling your home are the bigger issue — just be sure you’re using energy efficient bulbs in all of your fixtures.

Change your air filter

Should you choose to run your AC be sure that you have a new or at least a clean air filter installed. Having a dirty filter can dramatically affect how efficiently your air conditioner is running. As a result you could be using more energy and spending more money to still be hot.

Fire up the grill

There is one thing hot weather is good for and that’s barbecuing. While it may seem that going outside is the last thing you’d want to do during a heat wave it may be worth it in this case. Not only will using your grill to cook instead of your stove or oven save energy but will also prevent you from heating up your home further. So grab some icy drinks and head outside when it’s time for dinner.

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It’s barely summer and the intense heat has already hit in some parts of the country. If you want to keep cool but also stick to a budget, finding ways to cut back on your energy usage is essential. With these easy money-saving tips you’ll be stop worrying about costs and start enjoying the summer.

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