Energy-saving tips for AC season

If you have a solar electric system installed at your home or business, you might think it’s a license to crank up the air conditioning or leave the lights on all night. But the more energy efficient you are, the faster your solar PV will pay for itself–solar will offset a greater portion of your electric use, saving you more on your monthly bill.

All the same, it can be hard to keep energy efficiency in mind when you’re sweltering in the dog days of summer. With the summer equinox only a few short days away, why don’t we take a look at these easy steps to making sure you get the most out of your residential or commercial solar panel installation.

Free or really cheap:

• Keep your shades drawn when direct sunlight is hitting your windows.
  • • Keeping the interior of the house as naturally cool as possible will make your AC’s job that much easier to do. Just don’t pull your shades up when you leave for work in the morning–easy as pie.
  • For businesses with large banks of windows, screen them: the energy bill savings will more than compensate for the installation costs over time.
• Replace your AC filter at the beginning of the season and check it monthly.
  • • A dirty filter means less air circulates through at a given time, meaning the compressor has to stay on longer to send out the same amount of cooled air. Filters are cheap. Energy isn’t.
• Install a programmable thermostat.
  • • You should use one of these with your heating system, too. If you set the AC to go down to 73 an hour before you come home, your home temperature will be reasonable when you arrive and you’ll be less tempted to crank it to 65 for an hour or two.
• It’s summer: wear a t-shirt.
  • • Do you really need your home to be at 70 or 72 degrees? Sure, it feels nice; but it feels like mid spring. Embrace summer: set your thermostat to a comfortable 76 or 78 degrees and sip that lemonade. And always leave your thermostat on 80 or above when you’re not home.
    • In an office, ask your employees (or your boss) if everyone would be comfortable with setting the thermostat just a degree or two higher. Chances are, they’ll be happy to be able to leave their sweaters at home, and in this economy, energy savings that count towards the bottom line are sure to be appreciated.
• Lights, computers, Playstations: turn ‘em off.
  • • Appliances give off heat when they’re using energy. So be extra vigilant about turning lights off when you leave a room, and plug your entertainment center and workstation into power strips that can be easily shut off. In addition to providing a cooler space, this is also a good idea for general energy efficiency as it helps eliminate the dread “phantom load”.

Not cheap at all, but worth it:

• Insulate, insulate, insulate.
  • • Heat transfer by any other name is still heat transfer. In the winter, you want to keep warm air in; in the summer, you want to keep it out. Having up to date windows, good caulking, and modern insulation (not forgetting your attic) is essential to streamlining your energy use and minimizing your electric bill.
• Ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.
  • • If your home or office building is poorly ventilated, pumping in all the cold air in the world won’t help it feel really cool and fresh. Ceiling fans, proper vents in the attic, and screens in all your windows will make it easier for your AC to increase your comfort level. It will also help reduce the number of days you actually use the AC: on a warm summer day, is there anything nicer than opening the windows and letting the breeze waft through?
• Upgrade or update your AC unit(s).
  • • If your central air conditioner is older than ten years, chances are it’s in a sad way for efficiency. If you have some cash to hand, consider investing in a newer, more efficient system. Same goes for window units: the older they are, the more energy-hungry they tend to be.

Maximize your solar PV system, minimize your energy bill, and go forth and enjoy that summer.