5 Energy-Saving Myths That Can Cost You More When Cooling Your Home

The hot weather isn’t going anywhere in Central Florida for quite a while. You need a cool home, but you should consider what you can do to improve your energy savings. Some cost-cutting tips, however, may seem plausible but actually can cost you more money in the long run.

• Turning the A/C off. You may think that you can save lots of money by turning off your air conditioning when you leave. But if you turn it off for hours, and then crank it up when you get home, your A/C will have a very difficult – and long – time getting your home back to a comfortable temperature. This will waste energy, and cost money. Plus, you will put unnecessary pressure on your A/C unit. It’s better to invest in a programmable thermostat and set it 7-10 degrees higher when you’re gone.
• Turning the A/C up. Along the same lines, some people think that if you want the house to cool faster, you should set the temperature much lower. Since most home units move cooled air at the same rate regardless of the temperature setting, it simply will not work.
• Using the A/C for everything. Your home should be comfortable, but that doesn’t mean that your air conditioner should do all the work. There are lots of things you can do to keep cool. If you have a basement, utilize it. Also, avoid using heat-generating appliances such as ovens and clothes dryers at the hottest parts of the day. If it cools down a bit at night, take advantage of that cool air and open up your house. Keep it open till the sun starts beating down the next morning. (If it’s super humid outside, nix this tip.)
• Using ceiling fans in empty rooms. Ceiling fans can help take some of the pressure off your A/C to provide all the cooling. Because ceiling fans create a sort of wind-chill effect, you and other occupants of the room are the one who feel it. If you aren’t in the room, turn off the fan.
• Closing vents. Closing registers to avoid cooling unused rooms seems like a great idea, but it isn’t unless you’re just closing off one small room. Unless you have a zoning system, your A/C should distribute cooled air throughout the home uniformly. So when you close vents, you’re just cooling your ductwork instead.

Whenever you have questions about your energy consumption or heating and cooling needs, contact us at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We have served Central Florida since 1969.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about energy saving tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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