We are still in the middle of summer, and we know that every time you find the thermostat breaks triple-digit numbers outside, you are flooded with thoughts on how to battle the heat and prevent breaking your bank. Unfortunately, not all of these ideas give a positive result; in fact, many of them lead you to unreasonably high energy expenses.

Here is a rundown of the five biggest myths about saving energy in the summer season. If you are doing one in your home, now is the time to stop!

1. Cranking the thermostat to its lowest setting can cool the home fast.

Setting the thermostat at 60 degrees to take a shortcut to 70 degrees for the idea that it will cool your house faster is one of the most common mistakes many homeowners do. The temperature inside your home normally adjusts at a set rate, cranking the thermostat lower will not help for fast cooling. By undercutting the setting, you are only leading yourself to an extra 10 degrees worth of wasted energy and money.

2. Turn off the A/C while you are out.

This can be a bit tricky since it’s useless to run your A/C with no one inside the house, but it also takes a lot of energy for a central A/C to bring a house to the desired temperature. With this, installing a programmable thermostat is a good choice. It can gradually set the temperature inside your home to the right level so that a comfortable atmosphere will welcome you from work. When you are not around, you can adjust the temperature 7-10 degrees higher but still, save up to 10 percent of your power bill.

3. Run the ceiling fans to cool empty rooms.

Actually, ceiling fans are not capable of cooling the room, so running it the whole day will not really make any sense. Ceiling fans create a wind-chill effect so you feel cool, but they do not work like air conditioners which give cool air in the room.

4. Closing vents to boost A/C efficiency.

This seems logical, but it can cost you big time. Many modern central air conditioners distribute air evenly throughout the entire house. So if you are going to close some vents, the A/C will keep on cooling and pumping without delivering the air to a usable space. This will not just give you a high energy bill but may cause some parts to break down.

5. Hooking up a fan in your attic.

An attic fan, be it a solar or electric-powered, will only create a negative pressure, causing the air-conditioned air to be drawn in the attic. In reality, it will only increase the demands for cool air in your home and drive your cooling bill through the roof.

For more homeowner advice in keeping your comfort and savings intact this summer season, give us a call at Texas Made Air Conditioning and Heating today!

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