It is said that an American household spends close to $500 on electricity bills during summers. With temperatures rising, it’s time to look for alternative and cheaper methods to keep your room cool. Fortunately, we have a few tricks that can help you just that. Check them out.
Improve Your Air Conditioner’s Efficiency
An air conditioner not only cools the room’s air but also gets rid of the humidity. You can improve the AC’s efficiency by turning on vents in the kitchen and the bathroom. Opening the vents will allow humid air to the attic or even outside. Doing so will relieve your AC of doing all the hard work. This practice will also help you reduce your electricity bill by 20%.
Create a Cool Breeze With Ice Cubes
Running a window unit will cost close to $40 every month, while a fan will cost you only $5 each month. But, you can do a simple thing to increase the chill factor. Put some ice cubes in a bowl, sprinkle some salt on the cubes and place this bowl right in front of a fan and wait. The salt will lower the ice cube’s freezing point from 32 degrees to about 20 degrees. This will melt the ice and release cold-water vapor into your room.
Put a Film on the Window
All you have to do is visit a home improvement store and you will find a window film to block UV rays. This is known to reduce the consumption of energy by 30%. You can use an adhesive to ensure that the film stays in place on the window. It will only come off when you’re ready to take it down.
Seal All Leaks
Studies say that you can save about 15% on cooling costs just by filling in gaps around your windows and main doors. You can use spray foam or caulk to block such drafts. But, how will you find such energy leaks? The solution is to walk around the living space holding a candle that is lit. Go closer to windows and doors. If the flame flickers then it means that you have found a draft. Save big and deal with the heat.
Change to LED bulbs
It’s time to replace traditional incandescent bulbs with LED ones. One of the biggest reasons is that LED bulbs use 90% less energy than the traditional ones and also produce much less heat. So, why not make this change that will help you deal with the heat a lot better and easier?