Who doesn't like to save money right? I'm going to provide you some tips on how to do exactly that and some of these will be things you can do and others will be tips on how to work the system in your favor. Lets get right into the DIY tips.
Tip number one is keep your filter changed on a regular basis with a good filter. This is the easiest and best thing you can do as a homeowner to save on the electric bill as well as save your air conditioner from damage. Your air conditioner is going to run more and more as the weather warms up and reduced airflow will cause your system to run more than it needs to as well as it will consume more energy than it needs to the entire time it's running. The right filter makes all the difference too. Decent filters will have a Merv rating, and I always recommend if you don't know what type of filter your system was designed for, use a Merv 7 or Merv 8 filter. These filters are good filters that won't choke your system, but will protect it at the same time. The frequency at which you need to replace filters largely depends on how you use your home. If there are only two adults in a home, I recommend about every 3 months. If you have kids, pets, or pests, I would switch to a monthly filter change during the peak months that your system will be running almost all day.
Tip number two has to do with thermostat settings. This will depend on your schedule, but most people sleep at night and work/school during the day. For that type of schedule I recommend setting the thermostat at 75 degrees during the day to keep the stress and runtime off the ac and then setting it back to your desired comfort setting about 6 pm or so. A smart thermostat is a great solution here like the Ecobee (i'm not sponsored by them, it's just what I use in my home) as it allows you to auto program temperature set backs based on time of day/occupancy. If you do this you will need to keep in mind that the heat of the day is typically between 3 and 5 pm so if you want to be at lets say 70 degrees by 8 pm, you will likely need to have the thermostat go to 70 degrees around 6 pm. The system isn't going to cool your house off in 30 minutes so give it some time, but at least you saved some money during the day by setting the indoor temp at a more conservative setting.
Tip three is another DIY and that is to keep your outdoor coil clean. Summer time is the time of year that we do more things outside to include cutting the grass and inevitably it seems that the outdoor coil always catches some. Keep that outdoor coil free of physical debris and it helps to wash it down about once a month. I'm going to express extreme caution here because I've seen people ruin their HVAC systems by not being careful with this step. Watch a couple of YouTube videos of how to rinse off an outdoor coil, it will take 10 minutes of your time and save you from damaging your unit. By keeping the outdoor coil free of debris and rinsing dirt out from between the fins, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars per summer. This coil is the coil that actually rejects the heat from inside your home, if it starts to become blocked by dirt and debris, it causes the system to struggle and work overtime. This can also lead to failed compressors so, it's a great idea to keep this coil clean and free flowing.
Tip 4 is to have good window coverings and utilize them especially on east and west facing walls during the day time. We know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west which also where we will see the greatest convection gains during the daytime. Let your north and south facing windows bring in that natural light which will save on lighting cost, but from sunrise to about noon keep the east facing windows covered and from noon to sunset keep the west facing windows covered. You would be amazed at the amount of energy this can save you. The better your window coverings are, the more you save. If you just have basic blinds, they don't provide a ton of savings, but it's something.
Tip 5 starts with the things you can't do yourself, but will greatly benefit you. Maintenance is key to efficiency and can save you hundreds if not thousands each year. Even if you're not going to have a routine maintenance plan, I still recommend at least having your HVAC system tuned up just before summer. Technicians can catch little things that will greatly benefit you such as dirty evap coils, dirty blower wheels, failing capacitors. These things can cost you much more than you realized if not addressed. Reduced airflow whether it be on the outdoor or indoor coil can lead to your HVAC system not only being incapable of maintaining your indoor comfort, but also consuming as much as twice the amount of electricity it should. This can drive an electric bill through the roof!
Tip 6 is a feed on to tip 5 and that is to look for discounts at the right time. Seasonally speaking HVAC contractors tend to slow down in the months of March, April, and May. Many companies are willing to do maintenance at a reduced price or a "special" because of the slower business season. Be careful with this though as it still cost money to pay a tech to drive a vehicle to someone's house for an hour or so. When I see those advertisements for a $49 tune up, I immediately think, you are about to screw someone over harder than a mob bookie. My techs cost me a minimum of $65/hr between payroll, taxes, benefits, insurance... so to drive to someone's home and do a maintenance for $49 I would be losing money, and I'm a small business so the bigger guys have much more overhead. Be cautious of these scams as most of the time they get in the door at a cheap rate and then quote you with scare tactics a bunch of stuff you don't need.
Tip 7 is another add on to tip 5 and that is to ask for a cash discount. Cash is king and saves contractors the 3% processing fee for average credit/debit cards. Now it's likely you will only save 2% or 3%, but money saved is money earned. The only down side to this is you will need to have cash ready, but it's still a saving. This can add up especially if you need some services performed like a coil cleaning and capacitors. A service bill can be up to $1000, and that 3% can save you $30. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but that's $30 towards groceries or a date night!
Tip 8 is maintenance plans. Maintenance is obvious, but plans are typically accompanied by additional discounts. I know most contractors offer between 10% and 15% discounts on parts and services when you subscribe to their maintenance plans. You add this to a cash discount and now we can really start to save some serious money. Take that same $1000 example and apply the plan discount and cash discount, now you can save $180. Add on top of that the savings you will now get on your electric bill that you wouldn't have otherwise, and you'd be amazed at what it adds up to over the course of an entire summer. At that point, it's likely that you either made money, or at least broke even for everything. Most of the time I see people making money this was especially if a failing capacitor was caught during a service as it saved the client from having a service call during the mid of summer where they would have paid full price for the service fee and the capacitor which is likely more than the cost of a maintenance plan.
I hope this helps you save some money this summer and as always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please reach out to us and we thank you for taking time to read this article.
Kenneth Casebier
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