Now that summer is in full swing, the hot, humid weather in St. Louis can be unbearable even if you have the air conditioner turned on. However, that does not mean that you and your family have to suffer during these hot summer days.
Easy Tips to Cool Your Home
Here are some of the things you can do to cool your home and keep everyone comfortable while saving money and energy this summer:
- Weather stripping your home – If you feel a draft coming in even if doors and windows are closed, it may be time to weather strip your home. This is the process of sealing the gaps around your doors and windows. Drafty houses are harder to maintain and have higher-than-normal energy bills. Your HVAC system will need to consume a lot of energy to cool your home because the cool air is leaking through the gaps between the doors and windows. However, properly sealing these gaps with weather stripping will cool your home and can save you 10 to 15% on your energy bills.
- Scheduling a home energy audit – An energy audit is when an HVAC professional conducts an inspection of your home to find out how you can reduce energy consumption and save on energy costs. The technician will check on your insulation and HVAC system, and may perform a blower test to measure air leakage. He or she will be able to identify where your home is wasting energy and provide recommendations on what you can do as a homeowner to make your home more energy-efficient when cooling your home and more. Aside from lowered energy bills, a home energy audit provides you with improved comfort, better air quality, and lowered carbon footprint.
- Getting on a regular HVAC maintenance program – Living in a hot house can be a pain for everyone, particularly children, seniors, and people who are chronically ill. Having regular HVAC maintenance performed is important to make the system as efficient as possible when it cools your home. It also allows you to discover minor problems and nip them in the bud before they get worse. Homeowners in St. Louis are advised to have their systems maintained at least twice in a year, before the start of the heating and cooling seasons.
- Purchasing a new air conditioner – The Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program recommends that you replace an air conditioner if it is more than 10 years old. The program also recommends that you purchase a new one that has an ENERGY STAR label on it. Purchasing a new efficient unit allows you to take advantage of newer and more advanced technology to cool your home, as well as save up to 20% on energy costs.
Learn More About Efficiently Cooling Your Home
Doing all of the things mentioned above will not only cool your home, but will also save you a lot of money in the long run. You will lessen your energy consumption, resulting in lowered utility bills and big savings.
If you want to learn more about how you can cool your home efficiently, call our heating & air conditioning experts in St. Louis at 314-993-1110 to schedule an appointment!
