Reducing Air Conditioning Energy Costs This Summer, Begins Now!
Spring is in the air and the summer cooling season is almost here! As you start opening the windows and turning off the heat, you should also consider preparing your air conditioner for the long season ahead! Air Conditioner use will definitely increase your energy costs, and the amount you pay the electric company can rise considerably if you have an improperly maintained cooling system! To overcome the high utility costs, there are a few ways to reduce your energy costs with simple home maintenance.
Air Conditioner Replacement Costs
The biggest hog of energy in the summer months is definitely your air conditioning system. If it's more than 10 years old, it may be time to consider an upgrade to a newer and higher efficiency model. Old Air Conditioners have much lower efficiency and waste a lot of energy! The home energy tax credits can make the cost of a new system much easier to bear right now as well! Fortunately, knowing the cost of replacement is not a hard thing to do, get 3 Free Replacement Estimates now.
Air Conditioning tax credits have been extended to help reduce the cost of replacing your air conditioning system, as well as encouraging you to become more energy efficient. If you replace your AC system in 2010 with an energy efficient air conditioner, you can receive a tax credit of 30 percent of the total project cost, up to $1,500. If you replace the entire system, including an energy saver type gas furnace, you can combine energy savings and tax credit savings, and the new hvac system could pay for itself in a matter of months.
Updated 2010: Air Conditioner Tax Credits
Air Conditioner Spring Maintenance
If your system is not that old and you want to increase the operating efficiency of your air conditioning system, keeping it clean is the key.
- Whenever you cut the grass, take a few minutes to wash all debris off the outdoor condenser!
- If any of the cooling fins are bent or smashed down, get a comb and straighten them!
- Make sure your inside air filters are cleaned or changed out every 30 days!
- Vacuum the dust out of the evaporator coil, but take care not to damage the cooling fins!
Check these other articles:
- AC Condenser Cleaning Video
- DIY Air Conditioner Spring Cleaning
- 5 Ways to Extend the life of your AC System
Other Ways to Save Energy in Summer
One thing that many of us never consider, is that there are several other ways to save energy in the summer, that will help our air conditioning system work less, extend its life, and help save on energy costs! The easiest fro a DIY homeowner to do, is to install an attic fan! By reducing the temperature in your attic, your ac system is able to maintain cooler indoor temps without working so hard, thus saving energy!
- How To Properly Vent an Attic
- 9 Ways to Reduce Heat Gain on your Home
- Install a Solar Attic Ventilator or read Solar Attic Fan Reviews
If you DO decide to add an Attic Fan to your home, don't wait until July and 90 degree weather to do so! Install it in the early morning hours, before the attic is 140 degrees!
Share Your Energy Saver Tips
How else do YOU save on energy costs during the hot summer months? Share your tips below.
Other ways to Save this Summer
Check out these offsite articles with different ways to save this summer!
- Tips for Saving Energy and Money
- 6 Ways to Save from Womens Day
- 100 Ways to Save the Environment (Has several cooling system tips)
- How to Conserve from How Stuff Works
- 10 Ways to Save from Low Impact Living