Top HVAC and Tips to Reduce Your Utility Bills

September 13, 2021 | Semper Fi | Blog, Featured, Reduce Utility Bills

Heating and cooling are major contributors to energy consumption. Keeping your home at a comfortable temperature is expensive.

Your air conditioner has to run for an extended period of time to bring the indoor temperature of your home from the outside temperature to the temperature you set on your thermostat. If your house is empty during the day, you can save energy by increasing the temperature on the thermostat so that the system does not run as often. If you turn your system off entirely during the day and then at 5:00PM turn the system on and set the temperature in the low 70s, your system may take several hours to cool to that temperature if the outside air is in the triple digits (100 degrees +). In this situation your system may actually run for a longer total amount of time as in the evening the system will run for several hours continuously as it tries to achieve the desired indoor temperature. When a system is set to a normal indoor temperature in the 70s, the system will run for a period of minutes until the thermostat is satisfied and then turn off for several minutes such that the system is not running continuously. Programmable thermostats have the ability to be adjusted to cool less during the day and more at day’s end as well as keeping the temperature at the same level on weekends when someone is home all day.
To reduce energy usage, think optimal room temperature, not most comfortable. 70 to 72 may seem like the best temp year-round. But 67 in winter and 75 in summer will reduce your utility bill. Better yet, can you be comfortable with 65 or 66 in winter and 76 to 78 in summer?
If you love to get the AC working on the first warm day in spring, your utility bill is going to remind you that it wasn’t worth the cost. Tolerate and even enjoy the warm or cool weather at the change of seasons and enjoy the lower utility bills.
If your AC or furnace is 10 years old or more, you could save money by replacing it with a newer, more cost-efficient unit. Chances are that if your system is old, you have been dealing with expensive repairs and rising energy bills for years. Nearly all new systems are more efficient than they were 10 years ago. Getting your system replaced before it completely breaks down is a good move and an immediate energy savings. Utility companies such as SRP also offer rebates for purchasing a new, high efficiency A/C system.
Ductless mini-splits for heating and cooling also offer substantial saving opportunities. Heating or cooling the entire house more than necessary to keep one room only marginally warmer or cooler is expensive. Put a mini-split in the room(s) that need a little extra and save on utilities. Depending on your house size, it is possibly even better to replace your old central air system with ductless mini-splits. Get the versatility of heating and cooling some rooms more than others at different times and reduce your utility bill in the process.
Old and leaky duct systems can cause up to $0.30 of every $1.00 of your cooling or heating bill to be wasted. Consider a duct-sealing process like Aeroseal to ensure most of your cooling or heating dollars make their way into the living spaces of your home. Learn more at www.aeroseal.com or call Semper Fi Heating and Cooling today to schedule a free estimate.
Additionally, inadequate attic insulation can also wreak havoc on your utility bill. Given that heating and cooling costs are responsible for 50 to 70% of the energy bill in the typical American home, call Semper Fi for a free estimate on blown-in attic insulation and start realizing energy savings today!

Talk to the HVAC experts at Semper Fi Heating and Cooling to learn more about how to reduce your utility bills in Arizona and take advantage of lucrative utility rebates associated with the purchase of a new A/C system.