Programmable thermostats can save you hundreds in heating and cooling costs. When the thermometer rises in the summer, the cost of turning on an air conditioner may seem minor compared to getting some relief from the heat — but knowing how much air conditioning costs and how you can reduce that cost makes good fiscal sense. According to the Energy Information Administration, Americans spend more money cooling their homes than any other single usage of electricity, accounting for 22.4 percent of the average household electric bill in 2010. Typical Electricity Costs The town of Wellesley, Mass., has estimated the average cost of running central air conditioning in a typical home for six hours a day will use 900 kilowatt/hours (kWh) per month. At a cost of $0.134 per kWh, this amounts to $120.60 per month. A large 12,000 BTU air conditioner, like that in a window, running six hours each day will consume 270 kWh, at a cost of $36.26 per month. A smaller 6,500 BTU room air conditioner will consume 144 kWh at a cost of $19.34 per month.

Understanding Kilowatt-Hours The kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the standard unit of measurement for electricity in the United States. This is 1,000 watts of electricity being used for one hour. To calculate how much your air conditioner costs to run for an hour, look for its wattage on the box or in the instruction manual and multiply this by the number of hours you use it each day. For example, a 1,000-watt air conditioner running for one hour consumes 1 kWh. By comparison, a 60-watt light bulb running for an hour uses 0.06 kWh (60 watts divided by 1,000). The cost of electricity varies by region. While the average cost in the US in 2011 was 12 cents per kWh, it was as high as 33 cents in Hawaii and as low as 8 cents in Idaho. Check your electric bill to determine your cost. Air Conditioner Size and BTUs The size of air conditioner you should purchase depends on the size of the rooms it will be cooling, how well your house is insulated, and whether or not the rooms are facing direct sunlight.

An air conditioner's ability to cool is measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). For example, to cool a 100- to 150-square-foot room that is well insulated and not facing direct sunlight, you need about 6,600 BTUs, which requires about 1,934 watts. The same room in direct sunlight requires about 7,260 BTUs, using 2,128 watts. A poorly insulated room in direct sunlight needs about 9240 BTUs, using 2708 watts. Cutting Costs A programmable thermostat can reduce the cost of central air conditioning if you program it at a higher temperature while you are at work and while you are sleeping. The temperature you set the air conditioning at should be relative to the outside temperature. If the temperature outside is 90 degrees, setting the air conditioning to 78 should feel quite comfortable in comparison. Drawing the blinds during the day and opening windows at night when it is cool can also save you money. When purchasing an air conditioner, look for Energy Star units, which use up to 14 percent less energy than government requirements and may entitle you to a tax credit of up to 30 percent of its cost.

References Energy Information Administration: How is Electricity Used in US Homes?Wellesley Massachusetts: How Much Does it Cost to Run My…?cost of new ac unitMichael Bluejay: How Much Does Electricity Cost?what are the best window ac unitsThe Daily Green: How to Save Money on Air Conditioning Photo Credits Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images MORE MUST-CLICKS: How to Remove a Co-Borrower From a Home Title How to Maximize the Equity in a Home Do Most Sellers Make Repairs After a Home Inspection? top rated heating air conditioning systemsHow to Determine the Equity of My Home The Purpose of Debt Ratio How to Refinance a Home With Little Equity Understanding Home Equity Transfer of an Equity Deed What Things Are Appraised on a Home?

House Remortgage vs. Home EquityIf you have forced-air cooling but there's still a room that's hotter than all the rest, a duct or vent booster fan can increase the flow of cool air into that room. Two types of booster fans are available. An in-line duct booster fan fits inside the duct of the room you're trying to cool. You mount the fan near the outlet and it automatically kicks on when your cooling system runs. Vent and register booster fans sit directly on top of or replace ceiling, floor or wall registers. Depending on the model, you can set it to operate automatically, control it with a switch or operate it by a remote control. - Easy to install and use.In-line duct booster fans are available in both plug-in and hard-wired models and retail for $30 to $150. Vent and register booster units plug into a nearby electrical outlet or can be hard-wired. Register and vent duct booster fans cost $40 to $100. - Less powerful (and cheaper) in-line units have a lighter-gauge housing that is more prone to rattling.- Duct or vent booster fans may not make a significant cooling difference if your ductwork or overall cooling system is inefficient, sized improperly or faulty.

Search online for “in-line duct booster fan” or “register duct booster fan” to find dealers. (These fans can also be used to increase the flow of warm air through ducts during the winter months.)Staying cool is expensive. In a hot climate like Texas, the average family spends about $600 a year on cooling. In the Midwest, it’s about $300. But costs vary a lot within regions and even within a single neighborhood. Your home may cost $700 to keep cool while a similar home next door costs half that. This article will help you make your home the low-cost energy leader on the block. Our focus is on cutting cooling costs, but many of these tips will save you money on your heating too. We include upfront costs and payback for each of our tips, but the actual figures depend on your individual house, region, climate, living habits and electric rates. Replacing a 10-year-old window or central AC unit with an Energy Star model can cut your cooling costs by 30 to 50

percent and save you enough over the new unit’s lifetime to offset its purchase price. true if you live in a hot, humid climate. Central AC units are rated for efficiency according to their Seasonal Energy- units are rated according to their SEER/EER rating is listed on the Energy number, the more efficient the unit. you double your SEER (or EER), you can cut your AC operating costs in half. find the rating on an older unit, check the data label or plug the model number into the online CEE-ARI database at < href="http://www.energystar.gov">energystar.gov on the Central Air Conditioners page. are required by law to have a SEER of at least 13 and an EER of 8. Central AC units manufactured from 1992 through 2005 have a SEER of about a 10, and older models are at 6 or 7. COST: Window units range from $250 for 6,000 BTUs to $750 for 24,000 BTUs. Replacing an old central-air system typically costs about $3,000, but it can

run as high as $10,000. PAYBACK: The older your system and the more you use it, the larger your energy savings will be with a new unit. For example, replacing an ancient SEER 7 unit with a SEER 14.5 unit that costs $3,000 will save you about $700 a year and pay for itself in five years. Calculate your payback with the AC savings Buy an Energy Star–rated central AC unit with a SEER of 14 or higher (especially if you use your AC a lot). Buy the right-size central AC unit by making sure your contractor performs a thorough cooling load analysis on your home. contractors simply choose a unit that’s the same size as the old one. In many cases, the old one is oversized, so it wastes electricity. Replace the entire unit, not just the replace the inside coil and/or blower fan, you won’t get the rated Buy a unit with eco-friendly coolant (R41A “Puron”) since R22 (Freon)

will be phased out of production in 2010. If you get stuck with an old Freon unit, recharging the system will be very expensive (not to mention Use the Energy Star savings calculator at energystar.gov to figure out whether it makes financial sense to replace your AC, and get a list of the most energy-efficient AC units. Check for local, state and federal rebates on higher efficiency units at If you live in the Southeastern United States, consider a heat pump, which moves air more efficiently than a conventional AC unit in areas with high humidity. live in the Southwest, consider an evaporative “swamp” cooler, which uses 75 percent less energy than conventional AC and costs about half as much to install. For more information, go to energystar.gov. “My neighbor complained for years that my 22-year-old AC unit was tooTo keep the peace, I decided toThe old unit turned out to be