Energy Saving Tips Tomball, TX

Energy Saving Tips Tomball TX

Energy Saving Tips

• Maintain Your System – You can ensure your system operates at peak performance by scheduling semi-annual maintenance checks.
• Zoning – A zoning system can drastically lower your heating and cooling costs. With zoning, you no longer have to pay to heat or cool areas of your home that are rarely used.
• Programmable Thermostats – According to the Department of Energy, a programmable thermostat can reduce your heating costs by up to 35% and cooling costs by up to 25%.
• Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day
• Plant tall, fast growth trees on the south side of your house
• Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house
• Plug air leaks with caulking, sealing, or weather stripping to save 10 percent or more on your energy bill
• Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs),
• Unplug electronics, battery chargers and other equipment when not in use. Taken together, these small items can use as much power as your refrigerator.
• Reduce air conditioning costs by using fans, keeping windows and doors shut and closing shades during the day.
• When possible, wash clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy use in a clothes washer goes to water heating.
• Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when fully loaded. It takes the same amount of energy to run a full load as it does a partial load.
• If your home sits empty a good part of each day, consider investing in a programmable thermostat or manually adjust the temperature each time you leave and return home.
• Never put lamps, TV sets and other heat-generating gadget beneath a wall-mounted thermostat.
• Close Fireplace Dampers.
• If you use standard filters, change them monthly. If you use an electrostatic filter, rinse it out regularly
• If you have a mechanical air filter or HEPA filter inside your heating and cooling system, have an air conditioning and heating technician replace the filter annually.
• Allow air to circulate around your outside condenser unit. Fallen leaves may hinder the efficiency of the air conditioning unit so make it a habit to clear your air conditioning units with fallen shrubs. This means pruning any nearby hedges and keeping the grass mowed. Treat the area for fire ants, as needed. Ants commonly build mounds inside condensers and can cause your air conditioning to shut down.
• Have Your Air Conditioner Inspected Each Spring. An annual inspection of your cooling system may extend the life of your equipment and save you money by lowering your energy bills. Poorly maintained air conditioners can waste a tremendous amount of energy. “National statistics show that over 70% of all air conditioning and compressor outages could be avoided if the equipment was regularly checked, adjusted, calibrated, and maintained by qualified technicians.” (Source – Around the Clock: Energy Saving Tips)

Summer Time:

Reducing Summer Power Bills Without Spending Money

A key to reducing air conditioning costs during hot summer days is to limit the amount of heat generated within the home or apartment during the afternoon, when temperatures are at their highest.

Keep lights off when rooms are not in use. Lights generate heat that makes your air conditioner run more.

Try to wash and dry clothes, iron and cook in the morning or later in the evening. Use microwave ovens, which produce much less heat than stoves for cooking.

Use awnings, curtains, or blinds to keep out direct sunlight. This will keep your house cooler.

Eliminate activities in the afternoon that require a great deal of in and out through the doors of your home. This allows cool air to escape and hot air to enter the home.

More Efficient Air Conditioning:

One of the most inexpensive and effective ways to reduce your air conditioning costs is to adjust your thermostat setting. The savings can be significant when you set your thermostat at 78 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. For each degree you raise your thermostat setting, you reduce seasonal cooling costs by 6 to 8 percent.

Setting the temperature a little higher of around 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit , will you save 6 to 8 percent of your cooling costs for each degree above 78, and most people will be comfortable.

Use a ceiling fan or portable fan to supplement your air conditioning. A fan can make you feel three to four degrees cooler (and only costs a half-cent per hour to operate) so you can set your thermostat a few degrees higher and save on cooling costs. Use in occupied rooms since fans cool people, not rooms.

Turn off the air conditioning or set the thermostat up a few degrees when you leave home.

Be sure your air conditioner is not blocked. A free flowing air conditioner operates most efficiently Be sure the return air grill inside your house is not blocked by furniture or other items. Filters should be checked monthly.

When air conditioning is on, keep doors and windows closed Turn off kitchen or bathroom exhaust fans when your air conditioning is operating.

Caulk and weather-strip leaky windows and doors.

Shade your home from direct sunlight. Use shades, drapes, awnings, trees and shrubs to block the hot sun from heating up your home.

If you suspect your air conditioning system is not cooling properly, have it checked promptly. A unit that is having operational problems can cause extremely high bills.

If your air conditioning equipment is older and less efficient, compensate by being extra careful about temperature settings, hours of operation and filter condition.

Biggest Money Saving Improvements Four tips to provide the greatest energy savings:

• Replacing an old air conditioner with a high efficiency unit(new air conditioners use up to 40% less electricity than older models)
•  Sealing leaks in ductwork in your attic (the average home loses 15%-25% of cooling and heating through leaking ducts)
• Adding attic insulation to R-30 (the average 15-year old home has between R-11 and R-15)
• Installing solar screens or awnings on windows hit by direct sunlight(solar screens reflect back 60%-70% of sunlight/heat before it can enter the house)

If you are interested for more information, please contact Houston Admiral Air Conditioning.

https://plus.google.com/+Goadmiral/

Houston Admiral Air Conditioning and Heating
20222 Stuebner Airline Rd
Spring, TX 77379‎
(281) 876-9400
http://www.goadmiral.com/