In hot midsummer weather, it may feel like your air conditioning is constantly running. With each passing hour, your energy bill rises and you may find yourself wondering if there are ways you can help your system run more cost-effectively. There are actually a series of steps you can take to make your A/C more efficient on a day-to-day basis without costing you a dime. Many of these steps will only take a few minutes of your time or a slight tweak of your daily schedule. They will help your system not have to work as hard, potentially reducing the need for repairs.

1. Close Blinds: Sunlight is nature’s most efficient heat source and it can heat up your home as efficiently as it can heat up nature outside. Shade is the best way to prevent the sun from heating your home. Close the blinds or curtains to help keep light from getting in. Blackout curtains are the most efficient way to keep a room from being heated by the light outside. The darker you can keep your home during the day, the less your air conditioning will have to work in order to keep it cool.
2. Turn On Fans: Fans help circulate cold air within your home. Moving air also feels colder than stagnant air, which means you can keep your home at a warmer temperature and still feel cool. By having fans working in conjunction with your A/C unit you can help the cold air more evenly disperse around your home.
3. Check For Drafts: Drafts are the leading cause of a drop in energy efficiency for heating and air conditioning systems in the US. Even a slight breeze coming into (and leaving) your home can make a vast difference in the overall output of your HVAC system. You can find drafts by going around the outside and inside of your home and feeling along the seams of windows and doors. If you feel air coming in or out of the home then there is a draft. A quick home fix is to apply caulking along the areas where you feel the air coming through to seal the drafts.
4. Avoid Hot Showers: Humidity can make a room feel warmer. Hot showers and baths can heat up more than just your bathroom; the lingering humidity in the air can make surrounding rooms warmer as well. During the hotter months, taking colder showers and baths will help keep your home cool as well. Can’t live without your hot showers? Opt to take them later in the day, when it’s cooler outside. They’ll have less of an effect on the temperature of your house at that time.
5. Don’t Cook Hot Meals In Midday: The oven is a heat source that many people underestimate. Cooking hot meals in the middle of the day when it’s hottest outside can make indoors hot as well; which in turn, will cause your air conditioning to kick into over-drive. Avoid baking, using the oven, or using the stove top for prolonged periods of time when it’s hot outside. Instead try to only cook hot meals later in the day, once it’s cooled down.

Many homeowners want their air conditioning system to work as efficiently as possible, but they don’t realize that simple steps they take within their daily life can drastically affect the way their A/C unit works. Simply closing your blinds before work can keep your home cool while you are away. Turning on fans while you’re home can help your house feel even cooler. Blocking drafts can eliminate overuse of your air conditioner. And simply waiting until a later cooler part of the day to take a hot shower or cook a hot meal can prevent your home from having extra internal heat sources.