Is your air conditioner working properly? Summer time heat isn’t pleasant and your air conditioning is running double overtime, right? For most homeowners summer is the hardest time for air conditioning units because of the hot heat and in some regions high humidity. If you’ve been trying to find easy ways to cool your home off this summer, take a look at these HVAC tips that will keep your home cooler. Whether you need air conditioner repair to help your unit run more efficiently or your home needs better sealants, take a look at these simple ways to use your air conditioner less this summer.

How to Use Your Air Conditioner Less this Summer

Consider air conditioning repair before replacing your unit

While you may think that your older air conditioner isn’t working because of its age, it could just need to be serviced. Deepchill air conditioning Gold Coast recommends, “A fully cleaned and efficient air conditioner will ensure your air conditioner is working to its full capacity giving years of comfort and energy savings.” . This concept applies to homes of all sizes, especially large home that may be overworking one unit and may need to create separate zones in the home and install another unit. Consider having a repair service clean out your HVAC unit. Energy.gov recommends getting your air conditioner filter and coils maintained regularly. Read more tips on how to care for your air conditioning unit here.

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Consider a portable air conditioner for your cooling needs this summer

Instead of turning on the air for your entire home, a portable air conditioner in just the room you will be working in could be ideal. For homeowners that have a home office for example and spend 5-6 hours in one room a portable unit could keep you cool while saving on your energy bill. Portable units or a window unit could also help smaller homes that don’t need a central HVAC system always running. Air Reflect has the pros and cons of using a portable unit for your home.

Adjust your thermostat to come on less often during the day

Let’s face it; your air conditioning running 20 hours out of the day is going to result in a higher energy bill. Instead, consider turning your thermostat warmer during the hottest parts of the day so your unit doesn’t run as often. Consider having an energy audit performed by your local electricity or energy company. They will help you see how much energy you’re using each month and will give you helpful tips. From adding better sealant around your windows and doors to adding more insulation to your attic space, you may be surprised how much you can save. Energy.gov features a good video on what to expect from an energy audit at your home.

This summer use these helpful tips to help you save energy and run your cooling systems less. For many homeowners just leaving the house during the warmest times of the day to run errands, go shopping, or to go the library and use their air conditioning is a great option! You don’t have to suffer this summer with high heat and an overpriced electric bill.

For more summer home maintenance tips on Stagetecture, click here.

How to Save Money on Your Summer Energy Bills

Turn Off Appliances at Night

Leaving all of your electronics plugged in 24/7 might not seem like a problem, but it actually eats up more energy than you might imagine. Even when your appliances are turned off, leaving them plugged in uses up a small amount of energy and causes your utility bills to creep up. To start doing everything you can to conserve electricity, walk through your home each night and unplug all devices.

Schedule Routine Inspections of your HVAC System

As the summer months approach, you’re likely cranking up your air conditioning unit to stay cool. While it’s certainly important to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home, it’s just as crucial to ensure that your AC unit isn’t working harder than it needs to. To keep everything up to date and working efficiently, schedule routine air conditioning maintenance. If you find out that your air conditioning unit isn’t working effectively, it might be time to upgrade to a more energy efficient system.

Use a Programmable Thermostat

If you hate coming home to a warm house after work, you might be able to benefit from a new programmable thermostat. When you invest in this high-tech feature, you’ll be able to come home to a cool house in the evening without tearing through your utility budget. Instead of cooling the house for an entire day, the thermostat will switch on and start cooling off the house just a few minutes before your arrival. Here are some tips from Energy.gov to help with your summer energy bills.

Use the Cold Wash Setting to Save on Summer Energy Bills

Are you tired of shrinking or discoloring your clothes in hot water? If so, skip the hot setting and opt for cold water settings to save on summer energy bills. Your clothes don’t need to be washed in hot water, and you’ll actually be able to preserve their lifespan when you’re gentler on them. Instead of washing in hot water and tossing them into a dryer immediately afterward, take the strain off of your electricity bill and use cold water. After the clothes are clean, skip the dryer and use a clothesline outside. This is much better for your energy bill, and your clothes will smell nice and fresh.

Skip the Dishwasher and Air Dry Dishes

It’s a convenient feature of modern dishwashers to dry the dishes while they’re still in the dishwasher. However, drying dishes this way quickly adds onto your monthly utility bill. When you’re interested in doing everything you can to be gentle on the environment and your electricity bill, turn off the auto dry setting and set the dishes out to air dry. You won’t notice much of a difference in your daily routine, but you will notice a smaller utility bill. Plus, you can add another load of dishes in sooner rather than later to make your household chores more efficient.

Install New Energy Efficient Windows

Homes lose a lot of hot or cold air out of windows, and installing energy efficient windows can make a huge difference in the energy efficiency of your home. In the past, windows were too thin and poorly insulated, causing a lot of sunlight to enter and warm the home. Now, there are several types of energy efficient windows available on the market. No matter what your style is, there are windows to suit your home and your budget. When you’re truly committed to reducing your energy bills, installing energy efficient windows is one of the best things you can do to improve your home.

Home Renovation: Saving Money with your Heating and Cooling

Contact a Professional HVAC Contractor:

Your heating and cooling efforts need a professional to review your current HVAC services. Call a heating and air conditioning professional today, and see about getting an energy audit done within your home or business. Not sure what an energy audit is? Take a look at what an energy audit is from

Installing Energy-Efficient Lighting

Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) bulbs have changed the energy industry. Both bulbs are extremely efficient. Older bulbs emit so much heat that they not only raise your lighting bill but also raise your HVAC bill because your system is constantly working against the heat trying to cool off your home. This is one of the cheapest and simple ways to lower your energy bills.

Control Heating and Cooling with Insulation & Air Sealing

This is one of the most overlooked renovations when it comes to improving your HVAC consumption. Maybe because if it’s out of sight it’s out of mind. In this case, you do not want to overlook insulation & air sealing installation.

Where to insulate:

• Unfinished attic spaces
• Between & over the floor joists
• Between the studs of “knee” walls
• Slab floors built directly on the ground
• Cathedral ceilings

Where to seal off air:

• Around recessed lights
• Open stud cavities
• Gaps around chimneys
• The attic access door
• Skinny gaps

Over time, these areas experience wear and tear. This will end up meaning that you are not only paying to heat up your house but the areas around your house as well. In our opinion, that isn’t the best use of your finances. Installing proper insulation, and air sealing will increase the efficiency of your home.

Installing Storm Windows can keep Heating and Cooling Bills lower:

Installing window film, caulking, cleaning, and replacing parts are always to make sure your storm windows last their entire expected lifetime.

Install Window Film

This is another form of energy efficiency that is completely overlooked by homeowners. Roughly one-third of a building’s energy load is from solar heat- sunlight coming in through windows. Window film, more commonly known as window tint, can reduce up to 80% of solar heat by absorbing and reflecting it back outdoors.

Install Programmable or Smart Thermostats

Making a regular use of programmable thermostats, Timing automation systems, and demand & occupancy sensors are all great ways to save your home or business money. These tools optimize your HVAC system during peak hours, and when your home or business in unoccupied. This is a great way to cut back on heating or cooling your home/business unnecessarily. We love these smart thermostats from LifeHacker. They give you the top 5 they would recommend.

This season improve your energy bills through your HVAC unit. Your heating and cooling bills could be drastically changed by using these simple home tips.

For more home maintenance tips, look to our archives.

To some people, the kitchen is the best room in the house. However, it also happens to be the biggest energy user. The U.S Department of Energy states that cooking, lighting, and refrigeration account for about 41.5% of your home’s energy consumption and saving your kitchen’s energy efficiency is essential. Add electronics, dishwashers, and a couple of other appliances and it becomes an environmental hot spot. If you’re looking to improve your kitchen’s energy consumption, here’s how to go about it.

Image via: Houzz

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Use Appliances with Energy Star Labels

When buying a kitchen appliance, look for the energy star label. Many appliance companies are making energy-efficient models these days. These appliances add to the aesthetic appeal of your kitchen while helping you to save energy. They are usually 10 to 20 percent more efficient than other appliances. If you are on a budget and unsure about getting new appliances, look for retailers who offer reasonable financing options.

Image by: Inge Romsée

Replace Your Light Bulbs with Energy-Saving Ones

Traditional light bulbs can wreak havoc on your energy bill. Replace them with compact fluorescent lights which fit in standard light sockets and use less energy. They create less heat and save more energy from cooling costs. You can also incorporate more natural lighting by installing tabular skylights. They are relatively inexpensive and give the room a considerable amount of light.

Image by: Karen Dominguez

Check Your Range Hood

A poor range hood does not ventilate properly and ends up creating a hotter kitchen which results in higher cooling costs. Ensure your range hood is cleaned frequently and works properly. Check it regularly to ensure it vents to the outside and does not vent or recirculate into the attic. Hot air that is directed to the attic is bound to increase your cooling costs.

Image via: Pinterest

Run Your Kitchen Differently

If you can’t afford to buy new appliances, there are several ways you can make your kitchen energy efficient with the existing appliances. Start by turning down the temperature on your freezer and refrigerator by a few degrees. When using the dishwasher, make sure it is completely loaded to capacity before running it. This ensures you use it fewer times and save more energy in the long run.

There are many steps you can take to ensure your kitchen is more energy efficient. While some may take time to implement, they offer long-term ways to reduce your home’s energy consumption.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Before the rising temperatures and summertime energy bills start to make you sweat, you might want to take a fresh look at your energy consumption. While there are many ways to shave dollars off your monthly bills, such as upgrading to energy saving appliances or selecting high-grade windows, these are certainly not affordable options. Let’s take a look at how you can easily reduce your summer energy bill without shelling out dollars on home upgrades.

Image via: Lucy and Company

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Window treatments

Just like you use window treatments to keep the heat in during winters, you can also use it to effectively lock the cooling from air conditioner during those warm summer months. Hang heavy window drapes to keep the house cool by not letting in the heat. Also, make sure that windows and walls of your house aren’t leaking air. If so, seal up those leaking areas with weather stripping tape.

Ceiling and window fans

When trying to save money on your electricity bill during summers, it’s sensible to limit the use of air conditioners as much as possible. Fortunately, fans can go a long way to reduce the temperature of your house as well as the units of your utility bill. If you do not have them installed, consider investing in them for long-term benefits. Well placed fans will allow you to set the A.C temperature up to 4 degrees higher due to proper air circulation.

Image via: Home Depot

Turn off the appliances

Yes, this one is old, but the most effective. Turning off those appliances will defiantly save you a lot when done right. It means not just putting your P.C on sleep mode, but completely turning it off. Same goes for other appliances such as television, music system, and other home electronics. Unplug them, for better results. If the weather allows, consider opening the windows and allow the natural light to come in, instead of keeping artificial lights on during the day. All this will help you save 10-20 percent energy on your yearly bill.

Image via: Houzz

Saving energy on your utility bill is easy if you know where to make cuts. Use these simple and affordable tips to drastically reduce your energy bill and your carbon footprint.

For more ways to save energy on Stagetecture, click here.

It feels good when you know that you’re living green; that you and your family are making every effort to conserve the environment. When it comes to matters of being green, many people assume that it is going to be boring and that your kids will hate it. As much as there is some truth in this assumption, you can do it differently in a fun and exciting way. The tips below will help turn your house not only into a happy home, but also into a green one.

Landscaping

It is widely known that proper landscaping will add into your home’s energy efficiency. Simply said, it will provide shade in summer and insulation during the winter months. The EPA recommends planting trees that lose leaves on the southern and western sides of your house.

To make it more fun, take your whole family out and let each member choose the plants that they would like to plant. Everyone should then take care of what they chose and as they keep growing, it will be fun for them when they realize that their home is eco-friendly because of their individual effort.

Image via: Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

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Tankless water heater

Do you do a little dance as you wait for the shower to heat up? What you should note is that when doing this, you waste the escaping cold water and also waste the energy used to heat and reheat water in the tank.

As a replacement, look for a tankless water heater for your family. This only heats the water that is needed as it goes through a coil. This does not only save you energy; it also saves your whole family that terrible time in winter when they have to wait, seemingly for ages, for that water to heat up.

Eco Challenge

How about doing an “eco challenge” with your family? Here, you inform your family about different ways in which they can make your home more eco-friendly. Apart from the ones above, other methods that you can teach them include insulation, recycling, planting some food and making homemade apple pies among other ideas. The reward for the challenge should be simple’ any money saved will be given to the one who implemented the idea and they can use it to buy cool stuff.

How about doing an “eco challenge” with your family? Here, you inform your family about different ways in which they can make your home more eco-friendly. Apart from the ones above, other methods that you can teach them include insulation, recycling, planting some food and making homemade apple pies among other ideas. The reward for the challenge should be simple’ any money saved will be given to the one who implemented the idea and they can use it to buy cool stuff.

Image via: Natural Balance Home Builders

These tips will help you to have a great time with your family as you maintain an eco-friendly home. Each family member will have a sense of contribution and it will be easier for them to make green living a lifestyle. Not only will they have an environmentally friendly home, they will also have some cool new rewards and a great relationship with each other.

For more green living ideas for your home, click here.

If you are decorating or renovating your home then you should really consider the ways that you can make your home a little greener. Reducing your carbon footprint is beneficial for the whole world, and a nice little bonus is that it will save you money in the long run too.

Image via: Danny Broe Architect

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Here are some top tips to get a green home:

Install solar panels

Solar panels are a great way to be greener as they help you to use the sun’s natural power to fuel your home. This means you use less generated energy which cuts your carbon footprint and saves you money on your bills. An increasing number of people are using solar panels and having them fitted and they are even beginning to be seen as attractive features on a home because they offer so many wide ranging benefits.

Insulate your home

Being green is all about efficiency and insulating your home is a great way to become heat efficient. The less heat you lose the less you have to buy so this is another effective way to save money and energy, thus helping the environment. This means you should insulate your attic and any other part of your home where heat is lost.

Fit draft excluders

Draft excluders are another good way to save heat, energy and therefore money. You can find a selection at www.barrier-components.co.uk that, fitted to your doors, will keep your home green and keep the draft out. This is a simple measure but an effective one.

Image via: FINNE Architects

Buy low energy light bulbs

By simply buying some low energy light bulbs you can make your house a little greener immediately. This is an inexpensive way to help the environment, even though low energy bulbs do cost a little more. The bonus is that they last much longer than the cheaper traditional bulbs.

Invest in double glazing

Double glazing is a slightly larger investment but then again it is one that pays you back. Like solar panels double glazing saves you money over time and because it reduces energy wastage is starts benefitting the environment straight away.

Replace your boiler

If you have an old boiler it could be kicking out emissions that you could cut out by swapping it for a newer model. Nobody likes to buy a new boiler but doing so really does help the environment. And like we said, being more efficient also saves you money so everyone is a winner.

For more green living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Are you tired of the soaring electricity bills during summer? Are you looking for a way to save your air conditioning bill? If you answered yes to the above questions, here are some tips that will help you save energy and have a lower your air conditioning bill.

1. Cool down your surroundings

Before you get into the house, make sure your exterior is cool. One of the effective methods of cooling down the yard is through planting trees and large shrubs. These will naturally reduce the air temperatures, provide shade and reduce water evaporation.

Image via: Shelly Harrison

Some of the trees that you can consider include Hybrid Poplar and the Weeping Willow. If you’re looking for fast growing trees, then go for Bald Cypress, Box Elder or the Chinese Tallow Tree among others.

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2. Adjust your thermostat

A programmable thermostat is ideal for a centralized ac system. This kind of thermostat makes it possible for you to set your in-house temperature during specific hours of the day.

You can therefore decide to set it off when there is no one in the house. This can also be done at night since the outside temperatures are generally cooler. If used correctly, the programmable thermostat can help you save a whopping $150 on your energy bill!

Image via: Nest

3. Use blinds and curtains

Studies by the California Energy Commission show that the window lets in 40% of the excess heat in your house.

This is a huge percentage to ignore.

Therefore, simply arranging blinds so that they reflect light outside the window will help reduce these solar energy effects. Additionally, you can opt to shut the curtains that face the south or west during the day.

Image via: Matthew Millman

4. Keep your AC air filter clean

Something as simple as ensuring that your AC filter is clean will help you save lots of energy; whether you use an individual air conditioner or a centralized air conditioning system.

If your filter is dirty and clogged, its efficiency will be lowered and in turn it will use double the energy. Therefore, make sure you check your filter regularly and keep it clean.

Looking through the above points, there is no need for you to spend a lot on your energy bill this summer. These are simple tweaks that may help you to make huge savings. Therefore, go ahead, implement them and use your energy savings for a worthy cause.

For more green living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

The prospect of adopting a green lifestyle has become rather trendy over the past several years. The result of this surge in popularity has been promising; more and more people are spreading the word about environmental awareness and urging consumers to take control of their future via the products and services they choose to support. Of course, this has changed the market for such consumer goods, raising production and lowering costs so that nearly everyone can now afford to make at least a modicum of change in their own lives on the eco-friendly front. And when it comes to your home, there is no shortage of ways to cut your carbon footprint and jump aboard the eco-friendly bandwagon. But before you get started, you might just want to take the time to consider what you’ve currently got going on in your home. Here are just a few tips to help you make such an assessment.

Image via: Alison Glen

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What level of eco-friendliness is your home? 

Your main difficulty with looking for ways to determine the relative eco-friendliness of your home is knowing what is considered green and what isn’t. Often, homes employ some environmentally sound practices without even realizing it. For example, you probably conserve energy to some degree, simply because it is economical to do so. If you tell the kids to turn the lights off when they leave a room and you’ve set your computer to go into sleep mode when inactive for a few minutes, then you are practicing an eco-friendly activity and saving energy within the home. That said, most modern homes are not inherently geared towards environmental preservation. So the first step towards making an assessment could be to start following green blogs so that you can begin to get an idea of the scope of green living.

Conserving Energy & your Carbon Debt

Once you’ve started to understand the many ways in which you could transform your home to make it do more for the world around you, it will be a little easier to make a clear assessment of just how high your carbon debt is. From there you can begin to consider upgrades that will help you to conserve energy (CFLs, programmable thermostat, energy-star appliances, tankless water heater, etc.) and water (low-flow toilets, aerated faucets, drought-resistant landscaping, and a gray water system). And you can start to look at the products you bring into your home every day, like the food and clothing you buy for your family, as well as furniture and housewares.

Image via: Catherine Monaghan of Kitchens Southwest

Of course, remodeling and repairs will also provide you with the opportunity to turn over a new leaf since you can replace outdated goods with greener items. You might install organic or recycled-fiber insulation and double-paned glass to cut down on your need to generate hot and cold air. Or you could use reclaimed hardwood for cabinetry and flooring. Some products, like your furnace and AC unit, may even allow for a transfer of warranty so that the chain of title allows the homeowners after you to continue to benefit from energy-saving models for years to come. Although it’s not always easy to turn an objective eye on your lifestyle, it’s important to do your part to protect the environment, especially when you own a home and you have total control over how eco-friendly your property is.

For more green living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Home energy efficient investments are a wise way to reduce your energy bills and cut back your environmental impact. Although it is always worth considering clean, self-dependent energy generation, such as installing solar panels, there are many more affordable ways to make your home more green. You don’t have to spend a lot to start saving money. For example, you could start seeing your utility bills fall if you simply…

Image via: Paul Crosby

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Plant shade trees around your home

This mainly applies to older homes that have relatively poor quality windows and insulation. By planning some good landscaping, you could save energy, as shade trees can really help to keep your home cool in the summer months and warmer through the winter.

Shade trees and shrubs, particularly deciduous trees will not only brighten up the exterior of your house, but the foliage will also block infrared radiation from strong sunbeams in the summer that would lead your house to heat up. The bare branches in the winter let this radiation come through to help warm your home in the colder months.

Install a programmable thermostat

Programmable thermostats are a great way to ensure that you are not wasting energy needlessly on excess or unwanted heat. These thermostats are affordable and can be purchased from around £50 – £100. Not only do they allow you to control the temperature in your home much easier but also they can help you save even when you are away.

You should always turn the heating or cooling off in your home whenever you leave, just as you would turn off the lights when you are not using them. If you have a cooler system installed in your house, then turn the temperature on the thermostat higher when you are leaving your home in warmer months, otherwise just turn the heating down throughout the year whenever you’re gone. This little extra control over your heating can help you save considerably on your bill.

Change your incandescent bulbs 

Traditional incandescent bulbs are notorious for wasting energy, with only 2.1% of a 100-watt bulb producing light, and the other 98 watts being wasted on heat. Not only does changing these bulbs with energy efficient alternatives mean you have to spend less money replacing them, but it is also good for the environment.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and LEDs such as domestic LED lighting from the LED Lighting Depot and other online retailers, are a much more affordable solution. LEDs use at least 75% less energy and last up to 50 times longer than traditional bulbs, and CFLs use only 27 watts to generate as much light as a 100 watt incandescent.

The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that if more households use LED lighting alternatives in the next two decades, then it will prevent the need for 40 new power plants. This small change will also reduce electricity demand by 33%, resulting in around £172 billion being saved in lighting costs.

Choose greener appliances

Using appliances comprises around 18% of a typical households total energy bill. Older fridges are one of the worst appliances in terms of energy consumption. In the last five years, refrigerator efficiency has greatly improved so new models, especially those with Energy Star ratings, can cost only around $30 – $60 per year to run, compared to $50 – $150 to keep an older fridge running. Replacing this may be initially costly, but the amount of money you will save over the appliances lifetime will end up paying for itself and more.

Image via: Level One Renovations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends you replace any appliance that is more than 10 years old with an Energy star rated, energy-efficient models. These will use between 10% – 50% less water and energy than standard products. These appliances also make a huge difference to the environment, as the EPA predicts that if just one in 10 households used these energy efficient appliances it would be the equivalent of planting a huge 1.7 million acres of trees.

For more energy efficient ideas on Stagetecture, click here.