Are you feeling the crunch from your energy bills? Anything you can do to lower your home’s cooling bills can help.
Pinnacle Home Improvements provides energy-efficient home upgrades that can significantly reduce your energy costs. With an array of home improvement services to assist you, from insulation and roofing to siding and window replacement, you’ll be able to beautify your home and maximize its efficiency all at once.
In this blog post, we provide cooling cost reduction tips that will help you save money.
What Factors Contribute to Your Cooling Costs?
Where you live is the most significant factor for your cooling costs. While those living further south will have higher cooling costs, it’s still possible to have significantly higher energy bills in Tennessee.
Another factor contributing to cooling costs is the efficiency of your HVAC system. An older system may be too worn down to keep up with your cooling needs. It can also be impacted by a lack of proper insulation in your home or air leaks around your windows and doors. When your home isn’t well-insulated, and the windows and doors let in drafts, your system has to work harder to reach your desired temperature.
Your HVAC system winds up costing you more money as it tries to keep up. Even worse, it’s more likely to experience frequent breakdowns because it has to run more frequently just to keep up.
What You Can Do to Lower Cooling Bills
It’s uncomfortable to sweat it out inside your home. A better idea is to look for ways to cut air conditioning costs and lower cooling bills. These cooling cost-reduction tips can certainly help!
Make Insulation Upgrades
When your home lacks proper insulation, it can’t maintain the desired temperature. Your attic and walls may need added insulation to help retain the ambient temperature in your home.
Siding is another concern, and while many homeowners only associate it with the appearance of a home, it has an added feature. Siding provides insulation for your home, and when yours has become worn, cracked, damaged, or aged, it fails to provide protection. Damaged siding can cause pests and water to impact your structural integrity as well, and by making energy-efficient home upgrades like new siding or added installation, you’ll be reinforcing your home to have better energy savings.
Consider Window Replacements
In addition to adding insulation, you should look at your windows. Windows are the most significant source of air seepage in a home. If your windows are single pane and older, they are most likely causing your energy inefficiency and higher cooling bills.
A Knoxville window replacement contractor can show you energy-efficient home upgrades through new windows. These designs use double and triple panes of glass with non-toxic gas fills for enhanced insulation, allowing your home to retain that ambient temperature and keep you cool. These new windows also have special coatings that can reflect heat and UV rays away, minimizing the effort your air conditioning needs to put in to keep you comfortable at home.
Cut Air Conditioning Costs with HVAC System Enhancements
Air conditioners provide remarkable comfort on the hottest days, and you’ll want to do everything you can to keep this appliance thriving. You might wonder how you can cut air conditioning costs when you have to keep your AC running.
The first thing to do is ensure you have professionals maintain your HVAC system at least once per year. They will tune it up and inspect it to catch any minor issues before they become major problems.
Next, you will want to consider integrating smart thermostats. These devices can provide optimal cooling by adjusting to your occupancy and habits. You can avoid wasting energy when you’re not home, and your smart thermostat will make things cool and comfortable when you arrive.
If your HVAC system is approaching the end of its lifespan and you plan to live in your home for many more years, investing in a new system may be best. When you’re constantly making repairs, you’re only prolonging the inevitable. Choosing a new air conditioner is one of the best energy-efficient home upgrades; however, you should make sure to check your insulation and windows first. Without proper insulation in your home, your new system can incur more wear and tear more quickly, leading you right back to these same issues.
Additional Energy-Saving Tips
There are other things you can do to lower cooling bills immediately. One of the best tips for dealing with heat coming through your windows is to make innovative use of your curtains and shades. Thermal curtains can enhance your energy efficiency by lowering heat transfer. You’ll feel cooler instantly, and your air conditioner will thank you, though keep in mind that you will not get to enjoy natural light when the curtains are closed.
Some things can be done all on your own, such as sealing air leaks with caulk. Check around your windows, and if you see the caulk has cracked or peeled, remove the old bits and add fresh caulk piping all around. You can also add weather stripping if you’re relatively handy, though a window replacement expert should address any other issues you find.
One final way to lower cooling bills is to help your air conditioner out by running your ceiling fans. Turn them on, and they’ll augment your air conditioning, allowing it to run less frequently and keep the temperature comfortable in your home.
In short, everything you do to lower cooling bills will have an impact. If you want to see the most significant changes, you’ll need to invest in energy-efficient home upgrades. The upfront cost will be higher, though you’ll enjoy years of savings and security ahead with the peace of mind of knowing your home is more efficient.
If you’re curious about making energy-efficient home upgrades, contact Pinnacle Home Improvements for a free quote and to learn how these services can lower your cooling bills.
