How I Make My AC Run More Effectively

I know there are over 58 million searches on how to make your AC run more effectively on Google, but the following tips I am going to share aren't your usual maintenance tips. The tips I am going to share not only can help your ACs do their jobs better, but they can also help cut off some dollars on your electric bill.

In my case, the amount we have cut off of our electric bill during the summer have ranged from $10 to $60 a month during the hottest part of the summer. Since late last summer, we have been using window units to cool our house because the main unit went completely out and we don't have the money to replace it right now and rather not add that cost to our debt.

Although the tips I am giving are ones I have put in place since that time, they can also help those who have the larger units to cool their homes. These days, every penny counts.

My tips for keeping our window AC units running more effectively.

Here are my nine tips to help keep your AC running more effectively.

Close off rooms not in use. I keep bedroom doors closed during the hottest part of the day because I don't use them. I open the doors after the sun goes down to let out any heat. I had noticed by doing this even when going in to grab something the rooms Ire hot but not unbearable during the day because of the shade trees over these rooms. The trees do help a lot from keeping the sun from heating up the roof.

Not using the old air conditioners attic fan. Since it does get hot in the attic during the summer, I noticed if I turned that on, it would move the hot air out of the attic into the house. After having the discussion with my husband last year, I turned it off and noticed a huge difference in last year's bill. It dropped by $20 last year after leaving it off. Compared to last year, it dropped another $10 for a savings of $30 from last year's bill.

Not using the oven during the hottest part of the day. I didn't use the oven much last either because of how much heat it puts out; electric ovens will do the same even if it's an energy efficient stove. When the oven heats up the house, it cause the AC's, even the larger units, to work harder to cool down the house. Any baking I need or want to do, I do it early in the morning, preferably before the sun is up over the trees. This way the heat when rising to the ceiling doesn't hang around as long and the air conditioner's don't have to do double duty.

Don't use the stove top either. I also try not to use the stove top. While it puts out far less heat than the oven, it still heats up the kitchen and parts of the surrounding rooms. If I feel I need to use the stove top, I try to do any cooking during mornings. This way the house doesn't get hot and the window units don't have to work as hard to cool off the kitchen.

Use small kitchen appliances to cook with. I am a small kitchen appliance geek. I have enough small kitchen appliances to be able to cook a whole meal without using the kitchen stove. The only things at this time I don't make homemade using these appliances are breads, cakes, cookies, and pies. I do have a few recipes in the book for our electric skillet and crock pot, but haven't tried them yet. I think it is time to experiment with these two books to see how the recipes are for breads, cakes, and cobblers.

Have the dryer in the basement. Not long after moving into the house, my husband moved the plumbing for the washer and the dryer plug in down to the basement. Since this is where our sump pump is and the washer was set up to drain into the sump pump well, this made more sense. Once that was done and both appliances were moved downstairs, I notice a small difference in our electric bill since the dryer wasn't warming up the upstairs.

Using floor or ceiling fans to help circulate the air. This one has been around for ever it seems. Since there are only two ceiling fans in our house, we use floor fans in the living room, my home office and our daughter's bedroom when she goes in there; no window unit in this room. This has helped with cooling of our home as well.

Clean or change the air filters often. Cleaning or changing the air filters in your ACs can help with air flow and efficiency just as much as the other items I have mentioned. I know this is a typical maintenance tip, but it is one people may forget to do often enough. It does help keep your house cooler and your electric bill down a little.

Run your dishwasher of the morning or late at night. The time the dishwasher runs can heat up a home just the same. The few degrees your kitchen heats up, especially after cooking a meal using your stove and oven, after running your dishwasher can make your AC work harder.