Lower Your Electric Bills This Summer

When heat waves drag on for weeks during the summer, customers ask how they can reduce their electric bills without compromising comfort. Here is a list of ways to keep cooling costs low as during the dog days of summer.

Ways to Reduce Your Electric Bills During the Summer Months

Here are a few easy and quick suggestions:

1. Clean air conditioner filters monthly. Clogged or dirty A/C filters not only force your air conditioner to consume more energy to operate but also reduce the air quality in your home or business. The more your A/C struggles to function properly, the harder it is on internal components. Neglecting to clean or change an A/C filter may result in a broken A/C and expensive repairs.
2. Hang solar or reflective window shades. Solar shades contain special materials that are glare and UV ray/heat resistant. They stop hot sunlight from entering your home while allowing illumination to pass through so that lights do not need be on. Reflective shades are white on one side and black on the other side. They absorb heat (black) and reflect heat (white). Reflective shades need to be down all the time to help reduce electric bills during the summer.
3. Use halogen incandescent or LED light bulbs. Traditional light bulbs consume excessive energy and need to be replaced more frequently than energy-efficient light bulbs. LED and halogen incandescent light bulbs last much longer and use up to 70 percent less electricity than plain incandescent bulbs.
4. Purchase and use advanced power strips. Leaving electronics plugged in when they are on standby mode or turned off results in “phantom loading” of electricity. Some household electronic devices may increase your electric bills by as much as 30 percent when not in use. Plug your electronics into smart power strips that can be set to automatically turn off at preassigned times or when a device remains inactive for a certain period of time.

Tim Kyle Electric: Westminster Electrician

When electric bills are unusually high during the summer, and you have done everything to reduce cooling costs, you may have wiring issues. Faulty, damaged or frayed wiring will “leak” electricity and cause significant upticks in summer electricity bills. Schedule an appointment with Tim Kyle Electric, a Westminster electrician, for a complete inspection of your building’s electrical wiring system.