Staying comfortable during the summer months can be tricky. You want a cool home that provides respite from the outside heat, but the result is often sky-high energy bills.
Is this just an inevitable reality, that a cool home in the summer equals expensive energy bills? While you'll almost certainly spend more on electricity in the summer than in spring, there are signs you could save money on your electric bill this summer.
Look for the signs, then adjust your cooling habits if possible.
4 signs you could be saving money on your electric bill
1. Your electric bill spikes
It's common to spend more on energy as spring rolls into summer, especially if you live in a particularly hot or humid area. You'll probably be running the air conditioner more often and cranking down the thermostat.
Even if you don't have central air, factors such as humidifiers or window AC units shoulder much of the load of cooling your home in hot weather.
However, it's a red flag if your electric bill is drastically higher than the previous month. Look at your bills from the last six months. If this month's increase is significantly higher than the incremental bumps from previous months, it's probably time to make a change.
If your bill has spiked, it's a sign that you should take steps to lower your energy use so you don't continue overspending during the summer. Along with reducing your AC use (more on that later), try lowering your water heating settings for cooler showers and using your washer and dryer less often to save on energy.
2. You aren't scheduling regular HVAC maintenance
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are sort of like cars. You can pay a little here and there on preventative maintenance, or you can wait until there's a problem you can no longer ignore and drop a ton of money at once.
To make sure your HVAC is in good shape for summer, consider signing up for an HVAC service contract. This is essentially a paid subscription service where a professional shows up for regular maintenance appointments to check, clean, and tweak your system as needed.
Joey Dooley, a general manager at American Residential Services in Texas, says that although maintenance needs vary by location, biannual maintenance is the baseline for HVAC systems. "Almost every manufacturer recommends it," he says.
3. Your HVAC keeps needing repairs
Regardless of whether you contact a professional on an as-needed basis or have an HVAC service contract, you may notice that your repairs are becoming increasingly common — and increasingly expensive.
If this is the case, it might be better to replace your HVAC system than repeatedly pay for repairs.
The cost of a new HVAC system depends on the type of system, your home's size, and the installation requirements. According to ARS / Rescue Rooter, a national residential HVAC and home services company, a replacement costs around $12,000 to $16,000 depending on system type, home size, and installation requirements.
Older air conditioners typically use more energy than new ones, which will increase your energy bill. Are you on the fence about whether you should repair or replace your system? As a general rule of thumb, ARS says replacement is often the better financial choice if two things are true: The HVAC system is more than 10 years old, and the quote for the repair you're considering is over half the price of a new unit.
4. You aren't using your thermostat or ceiling fans strategically
Many of us start to sweat in our homes, walk to the thermostat, and press the "down" button in an attempt to get some relief. But if you set the temperature too low, your home doesn't actually cool down any faster — your AC just runs longer to reach that low temperature, which uses more energy.
Consider buying a programmable thermostat that automatically changes your house's temperature based on your routine. For example, it might save energy by setting the temperature lower when you're home and higher when you're away. Just program the thermostat according to your needs.
You might also be wasting energy by blasting the AC but leaving your ceiling fans off. Consider setting your thermostat a little higher, then turning on your fans to distribute air throughout the room or home.
With a few manageable tweaks, you can lower your energy bill while remaining comfortable at home.
Created by the Commerce team at Business Insider with ARS/Rescue Rooter.
