Written on: July 4, 2022
Let’s face it. Everything is costing more lately. Grocery shopping, filling your car’s gas tank, and other everyday errands can leave you with sticker shock.
You’re probably like the rest of us, looking to cut our expenses. We’ve found some ways you can reduce your summer energy costs that don’t involve sacrificing a smidgen of comfort.
When temperatures drop after dark, turn off your air conditioning and use open windows and fans to provide cooler air and ventilation.
During the day, too much sunshine may cause your house to heat up. To keep direct sunlight out of your home, close the curtains and/or blinds.
Regular maintenance is an important aspect of caring for your HVAC system. A tune-up by a professional will ensure that your air conditioner isn’t working as hard to cool your home this summer, saving you money on energy bills.
Take good care of your A/C between tune-ups by changing filters regularly, vacuuming registers to get rid of dust, keeping the area around the outdoor unit clear of yard debris, and having ductwork cleaned as suggested by your installer.
Propane appliances offer outstanding energy efficiency, which can save you money year-round. A propane tankless water heater can cut your water heating costs by 30% or more compared with an electric storage water heater. Propane clothes dryers get your laundry dry 25% faster than comparable electric dryers. You also save energy because propane clothes dryers produce fewer wrinkles on your laundry, meaning you won’t be ironing as much!
Cooking can significantly increase the temperature in your home during the summer. That’s especially true if you’re using an oven. The higher temperatures can cause your air conditioning system to kick on more frequently, driving up your energy uses and costs.
You can avoid this by using your range and oven only in the morning and evening. At other times, use small appliances such as your multicooker, toaster oven, microwave, slow cooker, electric griddle, or air fryer. Another great option is to take the cooking outside with your propane grill!
Did you know that only 10% to 15% of the energy an incandescent light bulb uses goes towards actual light? The rest of the energy goes into heat, which will raise not only your energy costs but the temperature in your home as well, forcing the A/C to work harder and more frequently.
Replace incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs, which produce little heat. Move lamps with incandescent light bulbs away from the thermostat. They give off enough heat to tell the thermostat it’s warmer than it is, which causes the A/C to turn on more often.
Using LED bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs saves you money two ways. First, they last 25 times as long as incandescent bulbs so they don’t need to be replaced as frequently. Also, they use 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs.
Get in touch with us to upgrade your home with high-efficiency propane appliances!
