Taming the Heat: How to Control Your Temperature and Electric Bill

Mother always complained about the bills; but more than anything, she complained about the electric bill. We always tried to ensure that all lights were off and nothing was running if it didn't have to be. Seemingly, this didn't help the rising electric bill because we ran our air conditioning unit non-stop. But we had to, it was nearly a hundred degrees during the months of July and August. So, there was no way of escaping the high electric bill. But we were wrong.

So often we are boggled down with high electric bills during the summer months, but we don't necessarily have to be. Generally, a family will instantly turn on the air conditioning units or their central cooling units as soon as they arrive home from work or school and let it run all day, until and throughout the next, and this may be the leading factor to a costly electric bill. A great suggestion would be the plan our family used when the bills were higher than the grocery bill; we would turn the system on enough to cool down the house, and then shut it off.

Sometimes this may not be the solution, especially depending on the size of the house and the insulation it has. I do recall a time when I lived in Alabama...and you should know how hot it gets there...if you don't , it's hot enough to place an egg on the pavement and have it fried in no time! But back to my point: When you are in climates such as the deep south, a good suggestion may be to allow the unit to run through the night and shut it off in the morning when everyone leaves to start their day. This method is generally used to maintain comfort throughout the night; which is good.

Another surefire way to maintain those costly electric bills is to keep your unit set to an auto setting; that way the system cuts off when it has reached a [certain] cool temperature, and then restarts once it senses the house getting warmer. But be sure to set the controlled temperature to at least 75 degrees, so that the unit doesn't constantly run, especially in a small house.

When using your units, or any air conditioning device, be sure that all your windows are closed. Another great idea is to close room doors that are not being used; this prevents the air circulation from spreading in unneeded places. You may even want to block sealing and cracks in your sills; these makes a great escape routes for air, rather you realize it or not.

But the greatest suggestion to tame a costly electric bill is to not use it when you don't have to!