Cool Solutions Top 10 Energy Saving Solutions

There’s no doubt that Florida is an amazing place to live. We have beautiful beaches, miles of ocean, and palm trees everywhere you look, but we all know that living in paradise comes at a price (literally). Sky-rocketing temperatures can take their toll on our energy bills. So, if like us, you find the everlasting Summer a little too hot to handle, there’s no need to worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are some energy saving solutions to cool down your bills.

1. Install A Programmable Thermostat

First off, what is a programmable thermostat? In short, a programmable thermostat allows you to automatically schedule out the temperature in your home across zones, over a 24-hour period. This as opposed to a non-programmable thermostat that keeps your whole home at the same temperature 24-hours a day. General benefits of a programmable thermostat include: help lowering your energy bill, flexible scheduling, the ability to control your temperature remotely, and more precise control. With prices ranging anywhere from $30 to $300, there’s a thermostat for everyone.

2. Consistent HVAC Maintenance

If you don’t already have an HVAC Maintenance plan in place, the best way to do this is have a technician come every 6 months for a checkup. Just like you going to the doctor for your bi-annual checkup, your HVAC system needs their doctor too! Maintenance of your HVAC includes cleaning parts of the system that push air throughout your house and making sure the main functions can be completed. If you don’t keep your maintenance up to date, you may run into problems with debris build up, causing secondary problems that are way more expensive to fix. Here at Cool Solutions, for $85 a year, you can keep your A/C running smoothly for years to come.

3. Check For Leaks

You might be asking yourself: how do I even check for an HVAC leak? How do I know if it is leaking? The answers to these questions are fairly simple. First off, every time you have an HVAC technician come for an inspection, update, install, or anything of the like, checking for a leak is normal procedure. In regards to what you as a homeowner can do, checking for things like: your home not being cooled as well  or easily, your unit blowing warm air, or you even might hear a hissing sound.

4. Close Your Doors + Windows

A zero-dollar solution to help you control the temperature and airflow of your home is to close your doors and windows. Again, another small thing you can do on a daily and weekly basis that makes a big difference in your home. Doing your best to “seal-off” your home from drafts and outside air will make sure your HVAC system can run effectively and efficiently, helping you save money and stay cooler or warmer!

5. Update Your System

If you’re a homeowner with a 8 to 10+ year old system, it might be time to get an upgrade because your old system may be costing you money you could be saving. With new HVAC systems on the market come lower energy bills and higher system efficiency. Each home is different, there are calculations done to see which HVAC system fits your home, it’s not a one size fits all situation. Sometimes homeowners may have two systems for their home, it just all depends on the calculations and inspection done by your HVAC technician. So if you’re a few years behind the curve, it may be time to get ahead of it with a new system! 

6. Turn Off All Non-Essential Appliance

We all have electronics in our home and even the smallest appliances let off heat. When you leave the house or go to sleep at night, turn off things that don’t need to run in the background. For instance: gaming consoles, lamps, T.V.s, and anything else you may leave on; doing something as small as this can go a long way for your HVAC system.

7. Fans Can Be An Asset

The good thing about using your fans as an asset is that although it’s using energy it helps distribute air around your home allowing your HVAC system to work less hard to cool off or heat your home! Even if you have one fan, use it to compliment your HVAC system and you’ll see even something this small can make a big difference in your home.

8. Have The Right Insulation

As Florida residents we know only too well the problems that can be caused by excessive heat and humidity. Having the best insulation for your home is one of the biggest priorities to look at in keeping your home comfortable. Not having the proper insulation can result in losing the hot or cool air from your system, plus our homes can become vulnerable to mold, insect infestations and interior damage. The US Department of Energy recommends that Florida attics should be insulated to a R-Value of 30-60. Here at Cool Solutions, we use and recommend Pro Cat Insulation as this has been proven to lower energy bills and keep your house feeling the way you want it to.

9. Change Your Filters Regularly

Unless you’d like to breathe dusty air, you’re going to want to aim at changing your filters every 2-3 months, or as specified by your filter manufacturer. Making sure you have clean air filters will not only make a huge difference in air flow + quality in your home but also increase your systems overall economic + mechanical effectiveness. 

10. Use Blind & Curtains To Your Advantage

Blinds, curtains, or any window covering can make a decently-sized difference in how hard you make your HVAC system heat and cool your home. During the hotter months, we know Florida can get brutal, you can use blinds, curtains, and the like to reflect the suns’ heat, helping keep your home cooler and your HVAC system not run so much overtime. Although during the cooler months you can try to leave your blinds and curtains open to let the sun come through your windows, giving your HVAC system some assistance with heating up your home!