10 ways to beat back electricity bills while beating the S. Texas heat
Temperatures are likely to flirt with triple digits across Texas for a while, so it’s worth making sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your energy use down — both to prevent blackouts and to keep your electric bill lower.
You may not be able to do anything about the weather, there’s a lot you can do in your own home, starting with keeping your thermostat between 72 and 76 degrees.
Cindy Roesler, HVAC sales manager at ARS Rescue Rooter Houston, said there’s plenty of basic maintenance that homeowners can perform themselves to help their air conditioners last longer and work more efficiently.
One way to tell if you’re spending too much on electricity is the 10 percent rule: Your monthly utility bill shouldn’t be more than 10 percent of the square footage of your home. For a 2,500-square-foot home, that would be no more than $250 a month. If it’s more than that, look at any of these ways to make your home more energy efficient.
1. Change your HVAC filters regularly. Roesler recommends a monthly swap; if that’s not possible, try to do it every three months. The inefficiency of a dirty filter can increase your electric bill by 10 percent and, in a worst-case scenario, cause your blower motor to fail. (This is important, as your furnace is
the “brains” of your AC system, she said.)
2. Keep your outdoor air conditioning unit in the open and, if you keep it outdoors, away from shrubs or fences that can smother the unit and hinder its ventilation system.
3. If leaves, pine needles or other debris get on or in the unit, spray it loose with a garden hose using a pressure nozzle. Debris can limit the amount of air that flows to the coils, so keep the outside coils clean and debris out.
4. For those with AC units in the attic, use algae tablets in the unit’s drain pan to prevent algae growth and keep
drains from clogging, Roesler said.
5. Consider installing a programmable thermostat. You can adjust it to specific temperatures at specific times; warmer when you’re not home, for example. Higher tech versions use geo-fencing to detect when you’re home and when you’re not. They can start cooling the house when you’re on your way home so it’s the temperature you like when you get there.
6. Keeping tight seals on windows and doors can keep cooler air in and hot air out, thus saving money on your electric bill. Don’t forget to close off your fireplace, as it can suck out cool air, too, Roesler said.
7. Use foam shields under electrical outlet switch plates. While outlets don’t let in lots of hot air, they do let some in, and covering them is easy to do.
8. Americans are split on ceiling fans: We either love them or hate them. You cannot deny, though, that they keep air flowing in your home so it feels cooler. Another smart move to keep air flowing throughout your home is to keep bedroom doors open. Privacycraving teenagers aren’t likely to agree, so parents may need to negotiate that one.
9. An air-conditioning unit should last 10 to 12 years — longer if you take good care of it. One thing sure to help them last longer is installing a compressor saver, also known as a “hard start kit.” This kit helps them to use a lower energy pull every time they start up. This alone can extend the life of your AC compressor two to four years.
10. If it’s time to buy a new air conditioner, make sure you get the right one. The first element would be getting the right size for your home. Another issue is the unit’s SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating, which rates the unit’s cooling capacity to power input. (In Texas, you’ll want a SEER rating of at least 14.) You’ll also want to research whether you want a single-stage, two-stage or variable speed unit.