by Stacey Kawano
Summer is upon us, and with it comes heat and humidity. Homeowners are more and more concerned about their spiking electricity bills from running costly air conditioners. These units are the largest consumers of electricity in our homes.
Over 55 percent of Oahu homes now have air conditioning, from a single window unit to central air, up from 22 percent just 25 years ago. - Hawaii's Energy Future
Running a window unit for 8 hours a night in a standard bedroom can cost up to $49 per month. Running it during only the hotter hours of the day or turning the thermostat down a few degrees can dramatically increase your energy consumption. Here are some times that can help lower your energy usage while still keeping you cool:
- Use a fan instead of an AC if possible
- Change the thermostat to reduce your energy consumption.
- Install a programmable thermostat to automatically run the unit only when the house is normally occupied.
- Clean or replace filters to increase the efficiency of your cooling unit.
- Take small steps to lower the normal temperature of your home. Install CFL lights to reduce heat from lamps. Close blinds or invest in window tinting for your home.
- Purchase a correctly sized cooling system for your room or home. HECO offers a free calculator to help determine what unit size you need. It will also show the average $ per month that your new unit will cost.
- Schedule a system maintenance check with a licensed contractor. For central air conditioning units this may qualify you for a maintenance rebate.
- Install a PV system on your house.
All of these small changes can help keep your AC from working too hard, and save you money. Find more information about how to save energy at the Hawaii's Energy Future website.
Learn more about how to reduce your electric bill
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