Summer temperatures heating up, home energy use in the San Diego is skyrocketing. Apply these 5 strategies to help keep your home comfortable and your energy bills low during the hottest months of the year, so your air conditioners don’t have to work overtime.
1. Keep The Sun Out
Although we typically use window treatments to promote privacy or improve aesthetics, they are very effective in keeping out direct sunlight. Identify which rooms get the most direct sunlight during the hottest months of the year (often the east- and west-facing rooms). Install and use white or light-colored shades for the windows and keep them lowered to avoid unwanted solar heat gains.
2. Upgrade Your Air Conditioner
In recent years, central air and window units have made significant efficiency gains. If your San Diego County home is well insulated and sealed, upgrading your air conditioner to a more efficient model can be a great step for lowering your electric bills. If energy efficiency is a top goal for you, let us know and we can help you select a cooling system that meets your goals.
3. Avoid Generating Heat Inside
During hot summer days, try to be strategic about minimizing activities that generate a lot of heat inside your home. Use your oven infrequently and load it up when you do. Consider washing your clothes in cold water and turning down your hot water heater a bit if it is located in your living space. Avoid using halogen or incandescent light bulbs, or replace them with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs.
4. Identify Inefficiencies With An Energy Audit
Many houses leak a lot of cooler (or “conditioned”) air to the outside and have thermal bridges, an area of the home in which heat is drawn out by breaks in a thermal barrier, such as gaps in insulation. These inefficiencies impact both your heating and cooling bills. At Aairco San Diego Air Conditioning & Heating, we have a team of certified energy experts who help cut your fuel bills by identifying leaks, gaps, and inefficiencies.
5. Prioritize An Uncomfortably Hot Room
Most San Diego homes have uneven temperatures, an issue that negatively affects your overall comfort and causes your cooling system to work harder to compensate. Poorly insulated rooms, south-facing spaces, rooms with malfunctioning ducts, or rooms that are far from the HVAC system are likely trouble spots. Targeting these areas with improved insulation, upgraded windows, air sealing or duct sealing can significantly improve the comfort of your whole house.
Call our office today to set up your home energy audit to be sure you are getting the most for your air conditioning system and not wasting money and energy. You can reach us by dialing 619-697-6077, or by clicking the contact button and completing our contact form. Once received, we will promptly respond to your message.