Here in Rochester, NY the weather varies a lot. Winter can bring negative temperatures, and summer heat sometimes approaches 100 degrees. Because of this, we are always aware of the effects of weather on our gas and electric bill.
With temperatures already hitting the low 90’s, I thought I’d share with you how to gas< /a> and the electric bill so far while the cold still lingers. After all, who wants to suffer physically or financially in the hot summer. It’s not difficult, just follow some simple guidelines.
The first thing is to feel the weather. Don’t just install your air conditioning in May and leave it there. You will find that some days you don’t actually need it at all.
The second way to save money is to invest in a programmable thermostat. They cost around $70 at big box home improvement stores, but often with coupons and/or mail-in rebates. that cost to $20. Also look around online before you buy. They are very easy to install. Anyone can do it, even if you’ve never done it before, just follow the instructions.
The best way to keep the house cool is to open all the windows early in the morning. I know, it’s too hot to open the windows all day, but hear me out. Open all the windows as soon as you get up. (The earlier, the better.) Then around 8:30 in the morning they all close. It will still be cold outside, and you think you can keep them longer, but close them now. Keep the cool air in the house!
close all window treatments too. Remember the “windshield effect” from science class? Stained glass windows in will increase the heat of the sun, thus narrowing the windows to cover the heat from your home. If you have blinds, make sure the tabs point to the ceiling, not the floor.
By noon, any visitor thinks it is in air conditioning. Make sure you keep the doors closed when you go in and out. So much heat can come.
On really hot days my house will start heating up around 5:00 pm. Those are the days we need air conditioning. I will set the thermostat to come on at 3:00. It doesn’t kick off until around 4:00. It is more effective to come in a little early before the house gets too hot, rather than trying to cool your house by ten degrees or more. I have it at 9:00 pm because then it’s cold enough outside to open the windows again.
May you find yourself in the late afternoon shade, and your house warm before day. If so, use the same technique, but in reverse. The key to this method is to pay attention to the weather, and don’t get your house so hot that it costs a chance to cool down.
