Timely Tips to Help Reduce Your A/C Bill

Although the cost of living is going up, it doesn’t mean your air conditioning bill has to go up this summer as well. Tom Eppers, co-owner of Dowe & Wagner, a full-service heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning company serving residential and commercial customers in Illinois and Wisconsin, shares some easy ideas for maximizing savings while staying cool all summer.

His top tip? Keep your unit cleaned and maintained, which allows the equipment to run well without costly breakdowns. His second tip: Change the air filter routinely, according to the manufacturer’s directions. A clean filter allows air to flow through the unit easily, without debris clogging the system and making it work harder.

A third way to reduce your A/C bill is to keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or above. Experts say that for every degree the thermostat is raised, 4 to 8 percent can be saved on cooling costs. When possible, let nature cool your home on breezy nights with a few open windows.

More ideas include supplementing your A/C with a ceiling fan that can cool your house down by about 4 degrees, allowing you to potentially raise your thermostat setting for more savings.

A programmable thermostat can automatically raise the temperature when the house is vacant, and adjust it when people return home. The U. S. Department of Energy estimates that you can trim 10 percent off your energy bill by setting your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees higher for eight hours a day.

Eppers adds that proper home insulation helps keep cool air inside your home, and not trickling wastefully outside. Make sure your windows are well sealed, and any door leaks are corrected. Closing drapes and blinds against sun exposure can also help reduce heat inside your home.

For more information, or to schedule an A/C tune-up, please contact:

Dowe & Wagner : 11215 Commercial Street, Richmond, IL 60071 : 815.678.3000 : http://doweandwagner.com/