Staying cool and comfortable at home is many homeowners’ number one priority during the dog days of summer. Unfortunately, running the AC all day and all night can really start to add up, which puts a big dent in your wallet each month when the energy bill is due. This post from your trusted residential insulation contractors in Sacramento, CA will cover a few ways that you can save on your bills this summer:
- Be smart with the thermostat: Setting the thermostat to as low as it goes feels fantastic when the temperatures reach triple digits outside, but that fantastic feeling won’t last too long after you open up your energy bill! Did you know that you can save 3 percent on your bill for every degree you raise your thermostat over 72 degrees? It’s true! Consider setting your thermostat to 78 to save big each month. Additionally, be sure to raise the temperature during the day when you’re at work or school.
- Use fans: Your air conditioner uses up the most energy out of any appliance in your home. You can offset some of that high cost by raising the thermostat temperature and flipping on the ceiling fans in each room. A good fan should allow you to raise the thermostat temperature by four degrees and still keep the same amount of comfort in your home.
- Keep the sun out: Assuming that you have blinds or curtains on your windows, now is the time to use them. Covering your windows blocks the sun out, which ensures that each room stays as cool as possible on a hot summer day. If you’re doing any landscaping projects this summer, you may want to consider placing some trees near your windows that will block out the sun and potentially save you a few hundred dollars over the course of the year.
- Switch up your lighting: If you haven’t already replaced your incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs, now is the time to do so! Today’s LED bulbs use 75 percent less energy than older bulbs, and they last 50 times longer. You’ll be amazed at how much you can save by simply changing your lightbulbs.
- Cook outside: Summer is the perfect time of year to get out of the kitchen and prepare your meals out on the grill. Cooking with the oven can raise the indoor temperature by up to 10 degrees. Instead of raising the temperature and increasing your cooling costs, fire up the grill and make some burgers outside.
- Add some insulation: Last, but certainly not least, add insulation where needed throughout your home! Insulation will block heat from getting inside while preventing your conditioned interior air from slipping out. Experts say that beefing up the insulation in your attic alone can save you hundreds of dollars per year on energy expenses!
If you decide to invest in new insulation to save some money and keep your home more comfortable, be sure to hire 5 Star Performance Insulation, Inc. to install it! Our competitive prices and friendly customer service make us the number one residential insulation contractors in Sacramento, CA.