It`s summertime, and the living is easy, but the energy bills sure aren`t.
Air-conditioning costs can literally double or even triple your monthly electric bill. That`s because it takes a whole lot of energy to run air-conditioning equipment, and electric rates are higher in the summer than in the winter.
The higher electric rates came about in the late 1970s, when the Illinois Commerce Commission decided that higher summer rates would discourage extra electrical use, according to Michael Kelly, a spokesman for Commonwealth Edison Co.
But electrical usage by consumers kept increasing. In 1986, when summer rates were 80 percent higher than winter rates, Commonwealth Edison recorded a record demand. Right now, rates are about 20 percent higher in the summer for homes using more than 400 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, Kelly said.
Short of turning off your air conditioner, what can you do to cut your electric bill? Several things, according to energy experts. Their suggestions, which follow, can not only help your air conditioner run more efficiently but can also make your home cooler, so you don`t have to run your unit as often.
No-cost steps
– Block it out: The simplest, most cost-effective way to reduce AC costs is to keep warm sunlight from entering your home.
”When the sun is on your windows, close your blinds, curtains or shutters or lower your shades,” said David Jones, an energy specialist with the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources.
”Awnings are also very helpful in reducing sunlight,” Jones said.
”Even a sun block constructed out of cardboard is very good. And don`t forget about skylights if they face a sunny side of the house.”
– Let it out: Proper ventilation can make your air conditioner work more efficiently and reduce costs.
”Make sure there is no furniture, draperies, plants, etc., blocking the vents,” said Jones. ”And close vents in rooms that you rarely use.”
”If you live in a two-story house, another way to save money is to close all the vents on the first floor and open only the vents on the second floor,” said Don Carlson, owner of Home Energy Conservationists, a professional energy-savings firm in Chicago.
”That way, the furnace is pumping more cool air to the second floor and that cold air will sink down naturally to the first floor,” he said. ”You`ll find you`ll get a more even temperature in the house. And in the wintertime, you want to do the opposite with the vents because heat rises.”
– Look out below: If you have a forced-air system and a large, cool basement in your house, you can use both to keep your house cool without turning on the air conditioner.
”If it`s not a very hot day, use the thermostat to turn on only the blower/fan on your forced-air system and let it cycle the cool air that sinks into your basement through your home,” said Carlson. ”Leave the air-conditioning switch on `off.` ”
”The air-conditioner compressor uses much more energy than the fan,”
added Jones. ”So you save substantial energy costs. But if it stays hot for a long time, you`re going to run out of cool air. This is usually only economical if the temperature is under 90 degrees or so.”
– Turn it up: The suggested standard air-conditioning setting for summer is 78 degrees, said Kelly. Of course, some people prefer it cooler. But Kelly said that for every degree you raise the thermostat above 78 degrees, you can save up to 5 percent on your energy costs.
”If you can live with your air conditioner set to 80 degrees, you can save 10 percent on your air-conditioning operating costs,” he said.
– Go with the flow: You can shut off your air conditioner completely and try to cool your home with Mother Nature`s breezes on not-so-hot days.
”Place a fan in the window to blow out the hot air on the downwind or hot side of the house,” Kelly said. ”Then open windows on the upwind or cool side of the house to draw cooler air in. A fan will use a lot less electricity than an air conditioner.”
Kelly said that you can also create a breeze without a fan by opening windows on the downwind/hot side of the house 25 percent more than those on the upwind/cool side. ”This will create a natural draft (because) warm air is lighter than cold air and will escape through larger openings,” he said.
– Time it right: Schedule heat-producing chores, such as baking, clothes drying and ironing for early morning or late evening hours, when it`s cooler. Or try to cook outdoors or in the microwave to keep temperatures lower. ”These are simple tips our great-grandparents would use to keep cool before air conditioning,” Kelly said.
Low-cost steps
– Come clean: A clean air-conditioning system can run as much as 60 percent more efficiently than a dirty system, said Jones.
”On central air-conditioning units, check the filter frequently,” he said. ”Hold it up to a light. If you can see light coming through the filter, it`s still usable. If not, get rid of it. Filters can cost as little as 50 cents each and take a few seconds to replace. A dirty filter can make the air- conditioning system run twice as long to do the same job.”
On central air conditioners, the filter is the same filter that is used for forced-air heating. Filters are found on the furnace system`s air return vent (see your owners`s manual) and usually slide into a slot like a slice of bread into a toaster.
On window air conditioners, the filter is usually behind the front control panel. This type requires a simple rinsing, Jones said.
Clean outdoor central air conditioning compressors with a few blasts from a hose nozzle, Jones suggested. ”Aim it down into the unit and wash out all of the bugs, leaves, candy wrappers, etc.,” he said.
Compressor units should also be placed on the shady, or north, side of the house. ”If they`re not, shade them with a lilac bush or doghouse or lattice or build a deck over them,” he said. ”But don`t block them.”
Finally, have the entire air-conditioning system checked every year or so or when you have your furnace tuned up.
– Get with the program: Programmable (or setback) thermostats allow you to program an AC system to turn on and off at certain times. They start at around $40 and cost as much as $100.
”For example, you can raise the temperature at night when you`re asleep,” said Jones. ”Or you can program the thermostat to keep the temperature in your home higher during the day, when you`re at work, but then have it start cooling the house down an hour or so before you come home.”
They start at around $40 and can cost as much as $100 or so. If used correctly, programmable thermostats can pay for themselves in one summer, the experts said.
– Attack the attic: For an air conditioner to work efficiently, attics should be kept as cool as possible.
”On a hot summer day, the hot air collecting in an attic can get to 150 or 160 degrees,” said Carlson. ”Through convection, that hot air comes down through your ceiling and raises the temperature in your living space.”
One cooling technique is to install attic roof vents, which allow the hot air to escape through small louvers.
”A couple of vents may not be adequate,” Carlson said. ”The rule of thumb is that you should have one square foot of venting for every 150 square feet of roof. You can go to one square foot of venting for every 300 square feet of roof if the vent is very close to the peak of the roof.”
Carlson said such vents are available at many home improvement stores, cost only a few dollars and are relatively simple to install.
Attic fans, power ventilators and roof turbines are other ways of keeping the attic temperature lower. ”You will never cool your attic to a comfortable level, but it will not be much warmer than the outside temperature-instead of 150 degrees,” Carlson said.
One of the simplest techniques is to place a box or window fan in an attic window to draw air out of the attic. Then open a window at the opposite side of the attic to bring air in. Window fans can sell for as little as $20 or $30.
Power ventilators are basically attic vents with built-in fans, said Carlson. Some have thermostats that turn on the fan at a certain temperature level. They cost $50 and up.
Roof turbines are similar in nature, except they are powered by the wind, Carlson said. They start at about $30.
”Many of these techniques can pay for themselves in one summer,” he said. ”For example, if you run your air conditioner continually, you could see a 20 to 30 percent savings on the portion of the bill that`s attributed to your air conditioner.”
– Hit the ceiling: In addition to being decorative, ceiling fans can help lower air-conditioning costs.
”Ceiling fans bring cold air up from the floor and also create drafts so that your body`s own air-conditioning system kicks in,” said Jones. ”That circulated air makes you feel more comfortable so you can set the air conditioner to a warmer degree.”
Jones said ceiling fans can particularly help with cathedral ceilings, where warm air accumulates. Ceiling fans, which have both winter and summer settings, start at about $40 and can cost several hundred dollars.
Higher-cost steps
– Think green: You can greatly reduce your air-conditioning costs by shading your home with deciduous trees, which lose their leaves in the wintertime, and then allow the sun to warm your house.
”Depending on the density of the trees, shade trees can reduce the demand on the air conditioning by up to 50 percent,” said Kelly.
”If you don`t have any trees around your home now, you`re not going to recoup any landscaping costs for a while, because trees take some time to grow,” Jones said. ”But there`s a lot of other reasons for landscaping, including adding value to the home, beautification and helping to clean up the environment. So if you`re thinking of doing landscaping, you might as well plan it out to save with energy costs.”
The rule of thumb, said Jones, is to shade the southwest and west sides of your home. Those are the areas most affected by the sun at the hottest time of the day: midafternoon. ”But if you can, I would also shade the east side because that will help in delaying the heatup of your home,” he added.
Jones also suggested planting quick-growing trees such as poplars along with slow-growing but long-living trees such as sugar maples and hickories.
”Poplars don`t live long, but as they are dying the slow-growing trees can take their place,” he said. ”You`ve got to realize when you`re planting some of these trees, you`re really doing it for your kids and grandkids.”
Shrubbery and even trailing vines such as ivy will also help keep a house cooler. ”Anything that keeps the surface of the house out of the direct rays of the sun will help,” Jones said.
– Raise your glass: Reflective glass is another energy-saving option to consider, especially if you`re planning to replace your windows. Reflective glass works by reflecting the heat away from the windows but allowing light in.
”Although reflective glass windows are still expensive, they`re getting better and less expensive all the time,” Jones said.
– Insulate yourself: Finally, weatherproofing and insulation will not only help keep your house warm in the winter but cool in the summer. ”It will take you a while to recoup your costs, but your investment works year
`round,” said Jones.
If you can`t insulate an entire home or attic, Jones recommended insulating select areas such as attic hatches on ceilings. Other areas to consider are the spaces between an unheated garage and the rest of the house and in the basement near the band joists on both ends of the house.
For more information
To find out about additional energy-saving techniques, here are two sources:
– The Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources offers brochures on energy efficiency. Visit the department`s offices during business hours weekdays at 100 W. Randolph St., 11th floor; or call 814-3895 to have brochures mailed to your home.
– A free booklet called ”Waste Watchers Guide: 101 Ways to Conserve Electricity at Home” is available from Commonwealth Edison. Call 1-800-EDISON1.
