Saving energy in your home doesn’t require a major investment of money or time. Follow these low-cost (or even no-cost!) efficiency tips and you’ll see a difference in your electric bill. Scroll down to find helpful energy-saving suggestions for each of the following categories: During the summer months, costs associated with keeping your home comfortably cool can make up around 55% of your electric bill. Here’s how to stay cool and save. When cold weather sets in, heating your home can account for up to 52% of your total energy bill. Here are some ideas for managing your electric use. Whether for cooking, bathing, laundry, dishwashing, or other uses, about 15 to 20% of your monthly energy use goes toward water heating. These ideas can save you money. Lighting typically accounts for about eight to 10 percent of the average electric bill. Follow these tips to trim those costs. Your refrigerator is typically one of the most expensive home appliances to operate.

Here are some helpful ideas to reduce running costs. Typical four-person households wash nearly 400 loads of laundry per year. Conventional washers use 40-50 gallons of water per load, while high-efficiency washers use as little as one-third that amount. Here are some easy ways to reduce the energy needed on laundry day. There are ways to make cooking and baking easier on your electric bill. Here are a few of them. Roughly 70 – 80% of the energy required to wash dishes goes to heating water. Follow these suggestions to help your dishwasher run more efficiently. All the many devices we use to inform and entertain ourselves—and communicate with others—require electricity. These tips will help you manage this rapidly developing area of energy use. These suggestions may not fall neatly within a particular category, but they can sure help you save on your monthly energy bill. I’m going to be straightforward with you, I don’t like Thermostats that control humidity. 

(Unless they are connected to a stand-alone dehumidifier)  Yes, these Thermostats will add a some level of humidity control to your house, but it will be at the expense of odd temperature management. If you set your standard thermostat to 76 degrees your AC will run so that it maintains 76 degrees.  However, the thermostat doesn’t know the % Relative Humidity in your house.  With very tight homes you might have a house at 76 degrees inside, but if it’s 82 degrees outside & 80% Relative Humidity outside this well built home won’t have to work very hard to maintain 76 degrees (meaning the AC won’t come on alot) unless it’s in the upper 80’s or 90’s outside.  air conditioning units for a garageRemember that an AC unit controls temperature by running a long time so the coil gets cold and the air running past the cold coil will condense and thus dehumidify the house.  air conditioning unit remote control

The AC unit needs to run for at least 10 minutes before it’ll control humidity by air condensing on the cold coil.  On top of this we also generate humidity in our houses by living there; cooking, showering, breathing, all these add moisture to the air inside.  There are lots of times of the year the AC simply won’t run long enough to bring down the humidity inside. Here’s how a standard HVAC system with a Humidity Controlling Thermostat works; home ac units explainedthe humidity controlling thermostat will tell the AC that even though the inside air is 76 degrees the humidity is too high (say 65% RH), this control module will kick on the AC to control that humidity but the furnace will need to run for 10-15 minutes in order to do any moisture (humidity) removal which ends up taking the house to a lower temperature.  This is what I don’t like about the humidity control on a standard HVAC system. 

You’ll walk by the thermostat and it’ll show the set point as 76 degrees but the AC is still going down to 72 degrees in order to bring down the humidity.  It’s hard for people to understand it who are living in the house.  It’ll make the house too cold just to bring the humidity down. This is why I like the stand alone dehumidifier.  It has it’s own controller that says keep the house at 50% RH.  It’s independent of the the AC unit.  The Dehumidifier doesn’t add cool air to bring down the humidity like the AC does.  It’s more of a low/slow/steady approach to controlling humidity compared to the AC unit which is like a V8 engine that only runs full ON or full OFF.  The other benefit is that the AC with it’s large engine uses alot of electricity where as the Dehumidifier runs at a very low 7-8 Amps.  The result is a comfortable house year round that uses less power. If you are considering a Humidity Controlling Thermostat, my advice is don’t.  Instead add some ability to control humidity apart from you HVAC system. 

HVAC+D as I recently heard it.  Here’s a link to what I’ve done in my personal house until I can get an more advanced UltraAire unit installed to control humidity.  Dehumidifier Retrofit – HVAC + D Sikkens Cetol 123 Review: Details for a Long Lasting Wood Siding Install Your email address*Your Friends email address*Comment Inevitably, air conditioners seem to fail at the most inconvenient times: when it’s hot and you have to wait for the repairmen. While professional repair is usually necessary and recommended to ensure that your air conditioning unit works efficiently and effectively over the long run, there are some issues that can be quickly and easily fixed, enabling you to bypass the long, hot wait. Here are some of the most common AC problems people experience and some tips for air conditioning troubleshooting. The air conditioner isn’t cooling: If the unit is running but your home isn’t cooling as it normally does, the first thing to do is to lower the thermostat five degrees and give it some time to see if this fixes the problem.

Keep in mind that if the temperature outside is particularly high, your air conditioner may not be able to achieve your desired internal temperature regardless, particularly if you have a lot of windows bringing in heat. Inadequate air cooling may also be due to a dirty evaporator or dirty or blocked condenser, which unless you know what you are doing should probably be looked at by a certified technician. A faulty compressor may also be the cause, which will definitely require professional repair. The AC unit is blowing warm air: The most common reason that an air conditioning system blows warm air is due to dirty filters. Essentially, in this case the system is producing cold air but that air is not able to flow through the ductwork. So if this issue occurs, the first thing you should do is check the filters. Other easy things to check is whether leaves and other debris are not obstructing the airflow. If everything looks clear, then you will need to wait for a repairperson, as the problem is most likely due to insufficient refrigerant, which only licensed repair technicians are able to replace.

The unit shuts on and off repeatedly: In most cases, this problem is caused by a dirty or blocked condenser unit, or a dirty evaporator. Most of the time, having the unit thoroughly cleaned, with all obstructions removed, with solve the problem. The air conditioning unit is making strange noises: While some noise coming from the unit while it is running is normal, if you are hearing strong vibration or loud rattling noises then something may be wrong and a professional should probably look at the unit. If you hear a squealing noise, then the unit should be shut off and a professional called at once, as it could be that the belt connecting the blower to the motor has slipped, and you don’t want to end up damaging the motor. Keep in mind that cleaning your air condition, while doable, should only be performed if you have a basic understanding of the parts of the unit. Also, any time the coolant is involved, you will definitely need the help of a professional HVAC contractor.