There is no doubt that HVAC systems are very crucial to any home. These systems contribute to a large percentage of the energy bills paid by households all over the country. Regardless of these facts, should you just sit there and let your energy bills skyrocket. Absolutely not! There are a few ways that you can use to ensure your home remains cool without having to spend much on the energy bills. Some of these ways will involve tuning your system correctly while others will revolve around your living environment but all of them will result in significant savings in your HVAC costs. Read below;

Increase Your Outdoor Vegetation Cover

Most of the heat that accumulates in your home comes from the suns rays incident on the roof and windows. Planting trees around your house can reduce the impact of the sun on your home and thus reduce the amount of heat. This way, the AC will not have to circulate the hot air more, and therefore it won’t take up a lot of energy, saving on the costs. Still, on that, you could opt to install a roof that does reflect most of the heat in a subtle way so that not much of it is absorbed into the house.

Insulate and Seal Your Home

This is a way of reducing your costs through basic physics. When there are two areas where one has hot air and the other with cold air, the hot air will naturally drift towards the cooler space. While you cannot entirely avoid this, you could reduce it by making the medium between the hot air and the cool air one that does not transfer heat easily. In a nutshell, insulating your home slows down the rate at which heat passes from the outside into the inside. This is also applicable to the cold seasons where it is desirable to keep the hot air within the home. If your house is already up, you might not be able to do much about the walls, but some simple practices can help to keep the hot air outside. Ensure that your windows are shut during the day and even if they offer very little insulation, the collective effect of all the windows in the home could be significant in the long run. You could also opt to upgrade the windows you have and opt for the multipaneled ones that have an extra layer of insulation. If you have gaps in your doors and windows, make a point of sealing them so that very little air can get into the home.

Cover Your Windows

The suns impact on your windows has the same effect as that on a greenhouse, and this can increase the temperature of a room significantly. Try all you can to reduce the amount of heat coming in through this part of your house and try shading them so that their exposure to direct sunlight is limited. Some of the standard window treatments we use for privacy such as curtains and blinders are effective for reducing solar heat gain. You can install external shutters that will block off the sun rays before they even get to the glass. If you can, add some overhangs on the roof that will cover the window or part of it.

Reduce Your Heat Generation

While we might trace most of the heat in our homes to the sun, some of our activities contribute to it as well. Blocking the heat won’t do any good if you generate a significant amount of it within the home. Try and adjust your cooking options so that you rely on appliances that produce less heat during the summer such as the microwave oven or the slow cooker. If you have devices that contribute to the heat, consider running them at night when the air is cooler to reduce the burden on your AC system. Lastly, avoid all the old-fashioned bulbs that still dissipate a lot of heat and opt for the modern fluorescent tubes and LED lights that will reduce your lighting bills and keep your home cooler.

Find Alternative Ways Of Cooling

When the heat comes, it might be tough to block it completely, and you should find some other ways of keeping yourself cool. Check on your dressing and do not fill yourself with a lot of clothing during the summer. Choose the light clothes such as shorts and vests that will show more skin and allow you to sweat and cool your body. Fans do not cool the air but help to blow away the cushion of hot air around you and installing them is an excellent way of keeping your home cool at the moderate temperatures. If you are not comfortable, consider taking a cold shower that will reduce your body temperatures instantly. You could also opt to take a cold drink, and have it cool you down as well. When the temperatures go down at night, try and bring in as much cold air as you can by opening up the windows or investing in a window fan that brings in cold air and does not use up much electricity.

Maintain Your System

After all the mentioned things have been done, your AC will still come in handy, and you should ensure that it runs perfectly. This system circulates the air in your home, and it should do this effectively without struggling. You can do some simple things to ensure that it is running, and they include regular small maintenance tasks such as cleaning the filters, cleaning the coils, aligning the fins, clear the clogs and removing all the debris from the moving parts of the system. Ensure the top refrigerant in 2018 works well at all times and have an expert come over to inspect the levels regularly.

The secret to saving your cooling costs involve locking out the hot air, reducing the generation of heat, cooling yourself through alternative means and ensuring your system is working correctly. If you do all the mentioned things, you will be surprised at how low your monthly HVAC bills will be.