How to Prevent High Cooling Bills During Summer Break

Your kids are looking forward to being out of school for the summer, and you’re looking forward to having fun and making memories together. One thing that you might be worried about, though, is an increase in your cooling bills due to your kids being home all day. Luckily, following these five tips can help.

1. Have Your Air Conditioner Serviced

First of all, if your air conditioner isn’t in top-notch condition, it might not work efficiently. This means that your cooling bills could end up being higher than they have to be.

Have your air conditioner serviced by a professional on a seasonal basis. Then you can prevent breakdowns and ensure your air conditioner isn’t wasting energy.

You can also do other things to maintain your air conditioner and keep it running efficiently this summer. Changing your air filters regularly will help improve indoor air quality for your kids. New filters will also allow your system to operate better since air can pass through the return more easily when it isn’t clogged with debris.

Another way to maintain your air conditioner is to pay attention to the area around it when doing yard work. Pull weeds and cut the grass in this area to allow airflow and prevent clogs.

2. Keep Your Thermostat Set on a Certain Temperature

Even though your kids might be tempted to turn down thermostat when suffering in a hot Virginia summer, try to keep your thermostat set at 78 degrees during the summer. If you have trouble with the people in your house constantly adjusting the thermostat, consider investing in a programmable thermostat that has a lock feature.

3. Talk to Your Kids About Wasting Electricity

Sometimes kids don’t understand about things like wasting electricity. Consider talking to them about the things that they can do to avoid causing your cooling bill to go up, such as avoiding opening and closing the exterior doors too much. You can talk to them about both the cost savings and eco-friendliness of conserving energy.

4. Offer Cold Snacks

When a kid comes inside after playing outside in the summer heat, they might be tempted to blast the air conditioner. Instead, offer them a cool treat so that they can cool down. Popsicles and ice cream are obvious choices, but frozen yogurt or frozen fruit can be good, healthy choices that can help them cool down.

Not only can this habit help you prevent your kids from wasting energy with your air conditioning system, but they’re sure to see it as a great treat, too.

5. Use Fans

Although your kids might be planning on spending time playing outdoors this summer, they may end up spending some time inside as well. Instead of adjusting the thermostat to provide them with cooler temperatures, set up fans in the areas where they’ll be playing, such as in their bedroom or in the living area.

Fans can help your kids feel cooler but don’t use as much energy as your whole-house air conditioning system. A small desk fan works well for computer desks, or you can set up an oscillating fan that will turn back and forth if several children are going to be playing in the same area.

As you can see, there are a few things that you can do if you’d like to avoid high cooling bills this summer. Even if your kids are home and using more electricity than usual, you can still keep costs reasonable with these tips. Contact us at C.B. Lucas if you need help maintaining or repairing your air conditioning system this summer.