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.

Have you started your fall and winter home maintenance checklist yet? Before the weather gets bitterly cold and you don’t want to be outside you should make a checklist of home maintenance tasks.

Living in Florida we don’t worry about the heat working as much as we do the air conditioner. While most northerners need to be concerned with their unit operating to heat their homes, we are constantly making sure we put ½ cup of vinegar into the condensation tube in our unit every few months. This keeps the line clean and prevents mold and other bacteria to grow in the unit.

If you remember this past fall, I paired with Lennox® to bring you Summer Energy Savings and now I’m helping them share their Lennox® fall promotion

for the colder weather. Soon, you will be turning on your heaters and ensuring your HVAC system is operating at maximum capacity is essential.

Fall and Winter Home Maintenance Checklist with Lennox®

Outdoor Home Maintenance Checklist Items:

The key to keeping your home warm this fall and winter is to check all of your outdoor systems before the weather is unbearable:

• Clean your chimney and vents or hire a professional chimney sweep
• Inspect your roof’s gutters, downspouts, shingles for repairs needed
• Drain and winterize your exterior plumbing
• Cut back large trees and shrubs that can hinder view or are hanging limbs that can break off due to snow load over your roof or garage area
• Inspect your foundation and bricks for cracks around your exterior home

HVAC System Maintenance Checklist items:

Lennox® has some great tips to ensure your system is ready for the cold. Your HVAC system performance will be enhanced if your unit and the entire system is performing at its best. Try these tips:

• Replace the HVAC unit air filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will make your unit have to work harder and in turn raise your energy bill.
• Look for moisture on your windows for signs of your HVAC unit not working properly
• Turn on your unit and listen for any strange or unusual sounds such as banging, whistling or rattling.

Home maintenance tips for a more efficient HVAC system:

If your system is old and you need a new system now is the right time to find out more information. The Ultimate Comfort System from Lennox® is one of the most efficient HVAC systems on the market and is made up of the following features:

• Control different temperatures in separate parts of your home with the iHarmony® zoning feature.
• The WI-FI touch screen thermostat lets you use smart technology to adjust settings with the iComfort® S30.
• The XC/XP 25 Air Conditioner/Heat Pump runs quiet and efficiently so you have fewer distractions with a better HVAC system.

You can receive up to $1,600 in rebates on qualifying Lennox® home comfort systems.  See further details here and where you can find a dealer in your area here.

This season prepare your home now before the weather gets too cold! Check out the Lennox® Facebook page for more tips throughout the season.