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There are dozens of ways to keep your energy costs under control during the
hottest months of the year. Keep in mind — nearly half
of your electric bill in the summer goes toward cooling your home.
Therefore, maintaining your air conditioner and keeping the sun’s heat out of
your house are the two most important ways to save. Here are some ideas to help
lower you summer energy bills:
Have your air conditioner maintained
annually by a qualified technician and check your air filter monthly.
Consider upgrading to an ENERGY
STAR air conditioner. If the central air conditioning unit
is more than 12 years old, replacing it with an ENERGY STAR qualified model
could cut cooling costs by 30%.
Close blinds, shades and draperies to
reflect the sun’s heat. Remember that white window coverings
reflect sunlight, and dark coverings will absorb the heat.
Reverse the direction of your ceiling fan.
By changing the direction to counter-clockwise in the summer, the fan will circulate
the cool air.
Turn off the ceiling fan when not in
the room. Ceiling fans cool people — not rooms. If the room is
unoccupied, turn off the ceiling fan to save energy.
Turn up the thermostat.
An optimal setting for improved energy efficiency is at or above 78 degrees.
For every degree you turn up the temperature, you could save 2% to 3% on your cooling bill.
Caulk
and
weather strip around windows and doors to keep the cold air
from escaping.
Minimize the use of ovens, stoves,
dryers and other major appliances on very hot days. Their usage
could require the air conditioner to run longer.
Close the fireplace damper.
An open damper will allow the conditioned air to escape.
Vectren does not endorse any particular
product or wholesaler.
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Learn more at VectrenLiveSmart.com
Click here for even more ways to keep cooling costs down during warm weather.
Learn more at VectrenLiveSmart.com
Watch instructional videos that demonstrate how to seal air leaks by caulking and weather stripping around windows and doors.
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