Americans spend billions of dollars each year on the cost of electricity. The cost of air conditioning, according to the U. S, Department of Energy, accounts for at least 15 percent of the energy use in many of our homes and may even reach as high as 70 percent in hot climates. If homeowners want to lower their electricity bills in the summer, ways to achieve energy efficiency throughout the home, especially with air conditioning, must be sought.
Central air conditioning, according to a report in the New York Times, costs homeowners around $130 monthly. Window air conditioners cost around $50 monthly. These are not the only methods available for cooling in the home. Ceiling fans are popular in tropical and temperate climates. In fact, they often are all that are needed to cool homes for the entire summer in such areas. One ceiling fan costs only $1.20 monthly. The A/C money saving available through the use of ceiling fans is enormous.
Many of us live in areas too hot to have our homes cooled comfortably enough by ceiling fans alone. Ceiling fans used in partnership with air conditioning can still provide significant savings on Home Energy Costs just the same. Most people can be quite comfortable with the thermostat set on 78°F to 80°F, and you achieve more energy savings for every degree above 78°F. If that feels too warm, do not change it yet. Turn on your ceiling fans. The drafts they create work to cool your skin through evaporation on its surface and cool you by three to five degrees. Now you feel as cool as you would if the thermostat was set on 73°F.
The cost of operating a ceiling fan for one hour is one penny. With the reduction in energy use from your A/C unit and the tiny cost of the fan, you will save a great deal on your electric bill for the summer. This makes a great start to any energy efficiency plan. Installing high efficiency air conditioning if you have an older, less effective system is another. To complete compiling a Summer Energy Savings Plan, there are hundreds of tips available on the Internet for ways to save energy around the home.