As the heat rises, so does your air conditioning bills. To keep your AC expenses under control you might be asking yourself, is it cheaper to leave your AC on all day in the summer in Seymour?

It’s a popular belief that turning your AC on and off throughout the day is wasteful. This is actually not true.

Keeping your air conditioner on all the time means you’re not using it very efficiently. We suggest setting your thermostat higher when you’re elsewhere, and turning it back down when you return. You can accomplish this with a programmable thermostat. Or, a smart thermostat is able to do the work for you.

It’s considerably more work for your system to keep the same setting throughout the day. It can also result in a lot of stress on your system, since it’s frequently turning on and off.

So, on top of it increasing your electricity bills, it might also result in a reduced life expectancy for your AC unit.

No matter what, the greater the difference between your home’s temperature and the outside temperature, the more your air conditioning expenses will be. So, what can you do to remain cool and keep your utility bills low in the summer? Here are our ideas based on recommendations from the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) and ENERGY STAR®.

Six Ways to Boost Your Air Conditioner’s Energy Efficiency

  1. Tweak Your Thermostat. The DOE states that you can conserve up to 10% annually on heating and cooling by increasing your thermostat 7-10 degrees while you’re away. Through the summer, it’s recommended to set your thermostat at 78 degrees while you’re home and 88 degrees when you’re out. It’s also important to forgo setting your thermostat to a lower setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. This doesn’t actually cool off your home any quicker, it just causes bigger energy bills. While these temperatures may appear toasty, there are additional methods to keep comfortable without having to always run the AC unit.
  2. Use Fans, Curtains and Blinds. ENERGY STAR says dialing up the thermostat by only 2 degrees and utilizing your ceiling fan can lessen energy by up to 14% over the course of the summer. It’s important to keep in mind that fans cool people, not areas. So, when you exit the room, turn the fan off to conserve energy. Furthermore, keeping blinds lowered and curtains shut throughout the day helps keep chilled air inside. There are also some window solutions designed to deliver additional insulation and improve en