Reducing the Energy Consumption of Your Air Conditioning Unit

Air conditioning is now a must in any setting, whether it be your household, office, store, or other building. To make your family, guests, and customers comfortable and provide good air quality, you have to spend money to ensure maintenance and good temperatures indoors. It is no secret that it is becoming more and more of a financial burden for you, but you have a responsibility to keep the air conditioning going in those hot summer months.

Here is a list of important energy saving tips to help you get the most of your air conditioning while limiting the amount of energy you use:

• Shade your residence from the outside – using blinds, awnings, or shutters reduces the amount of sunlight that is allowed inside, lowering the temperature indoors, so that the air conditioning unit is used less.
• Keep doors and windows closed.
• Know the temperature outside – increase and decrease the thermostat with the temperature. The two temperatures should be no more than 25 degrees apart. A large variance in the two temperatures is also bad for your body.
• Make sure electronics/sources of heat are off – When you can, keep computers, game systems, printers, ovens and lights off as these all give off heat, making your air conditioning run harder. Limiting shower times can also help.
• Avoid an elevated room humidity – try to stay away from activities that will increase the humidity in your home. This can include working out, doing laundry, or taking long showers. The air conditioning tries to lower the humidity, so when the air inside your home is humid, the unit must work harder and use more energy.