The weather is getting warm, the flowers are blooming, the trees are growing new leaves, the birds are singing and these are signs that spring has come. Replacing the winter that may almost freeze and make your home look pale. And when spring comes, you can do some activities. Such as cleaning and gardening and it is also the right time to re-evaluate the energy use in your home and prepare for the warmer months.
With spring cleaning and gardening activities underway, now is the time to make energy-saving changes before summer energy use rises. Here are some simple tips to help save energy in your home and ultimately save your money this spring.
Turn down the thermostat
Spring temperatures can have you blasting the AC to stay comfortable, but wasting energy does not make sense. By following these simple steps, you can save energy and money and maintain a comfortable home environment throughout the spring.
Turning down your thermostat is a key step to reduce electricity use in your home. It is recommended that you set your thermostat to 78 degrees during the day and lower it when you are away or asleep at night. This is the ideal milk for conserving energy but still comforting in warm weather.
Cook Outside
Cooking with an oven or stove, you can end up heating up your kitchen and other rooms in the house. This raises your electricity usage, forcing the air conditioning to work harder to cool your home. Cooking outdoors or using a smaller cooking appliance like a slow cooker will help lower your energy use.
Open the Windows
Longer spring days allow you to open windows for natural ventilation during the day. This allows colder air to enter the home and lowers your energy bill. Keeping your windows open in the spring helps manage both moisture and temperature while saving you on heating costs. In fact, if your home is well insulated and you lower the thermostat just four degrees during the day, you could save up to 15 percent on your heating bill.
Dry the laundry outside
Since the weather is getting warm, it is a great time to take out the items you want to dry. Including drying your clothes in the spring. Hanging your laundry outdoors to dry is another great way to save energy in the spring. This reduces humidity, keeps your home cooler and cuts down on your electricity use by avoiding unnecessary running of the dryer.
Use ceiling fans
As you start working on your annual spring cleaning to-do list, add energy efficiency tasks that will help keep your home cool and your electric bill low. In this case, you can use a ceiling fan. Make sure your fans are in the right direction. Remembering to reverse the direction of your ceiling fan when the seasons change is simple, just like changing the direction of your clocks with daylight savings time. The counterclockwise rotation of your fans pushes cool air down and enables you to raise the thermostat without wasting energy.
Bring in sunlight
To save energy in your home, during daylight hours, instead of turning on the lamps, switch off the lights and use windows and skylights to let sunlight into your home. It will brighten up your home and save your bill for sure during the spring.
Clean Your Air Filters
Don’t forget to clean your air filters. One way to do this is by washing or replacing your air filters regularly. Dirty air filters can make your HVAC system work harder, which uses more energy.