When Kentucky reaches the peak of the summer season, there’s intense heat paired with high humidity that can affect your indoor comfort. Your air conditioning system faces even more use when you want to be comfortable and safe during the worst of the summertime heat waves. Properly preparing your air conditioning system all starts with programming your thermostat for optimal energy savings.
Start With Setting the Right Temperature
One of the biggest misconceptions that a lot of homeowners have is that they need to turn the temperature down on their thermostat to make their home cool down faster. However, that’s simply not the case. Your AC cools at the same rate no matter what your temperature setting is, as long as it’s lower than the temperature of your room.
Far too often, homeowners end up turning the thermostat down and forgetting to turn it back up after their home gets to their desired temperature. This leaves their air conditioning system consuming energy and getting their home much colder than it really needs to be. Instead, aim to set your temperature to 78 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re at home. This keeps your home at a comfortable temperature while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption.
The Programmable Thermostat
At the bare minimum, every household should have a programmable thermostat. This is one of the easiest ways to help save money on your summertime cooling bills. Essentially, what it allows you to do is program in different temperature settings depending on the day of the week and the time of the day. When you’re away at work, and no one is home, you should consider raising the temperature between 7 and 10 degrees. This can significantly cut your energy costs without sacrificing any comfort.
The Smart Thermostat
Many newer smart thermostats go above and beyond just basic scheduling that programmable thermostats offer. This allows you to further optimize your energy savings throughout the entire summer season. Many smart thermostats come integrated with learning technology that will learn your daily routine and make automatic adjustments for your utmost convenience.
Others have geofencing technology that can detect your physical location based on your phone’s GPS. Whenever you leave your home, it will turn the temperature up. Whenever you’re getting ready to return to your home, it will turn the temperature back down so it’s comfortable when you arrive. Some thermostats will even adjust your indoor temperature setting based on outdoor weather conditions.
A notable benefit of smart thermostats is that they come integrated with energy reports and usage insights. You can see where your energy consumption is coming from and learn ways to reduce it. You can actually see in real time how a change in your thermostat settings can reduce your energy consumption. This is especially useful to help you make quick decisions on how to further optimize your energy savings without having to wait a full month until your energy bill arrives.
Optimize Indoor Humidity Levels
With Kentucky’s excess humidity during the summer months, it’s no surprise that a lot of homeowners have whole-home dehumidification systems. These systems allow you to alter the humidity level inside your home so that you can put it at a level that’s comfortable for you. It’s important to make use of that system by programming your desired indoor humidity level on your smart thermostat.
Most experts recommend setting the relative humidity level between 30 and 50%. Anything higher than 50% can start to make your home feel stuffy due to the excess moisture. This can make you feel more uncomfortable since your body is unable to adequately sweat. Many homeowners find that by controlling the indoor humidity of their home, they have to run their air conditioning system less often to remain comfortable.
Bonus Cooling Tips
Apart from optimizing your thermostat settings to save money on your utility bills, there are some other things you can do to enhance your comfort and reduce those bills. One of the best hidden secrets is to use ceiling fans in the rooms throughout your home. Make sure that you have them set in the forward or counterclockwise direction so that they’re forcing a gentle breeze down onto you.
This breeze will help to cool down your body to make you feel more comfortable so that you can set your thermostat at a higher temperature. Another great tip is to make sure that you’re closing your blinds or curtains on windows that receive direct sunlight throughout the daytime hours. This will help block out that solar heat gain so that your air conditioning system doesn’t have to combat it.
Professional AC Maintenance Service
Affordable Service Solutions Heating & Air Conditioning provides professional AC maintenance services for Richmond, KY and the surrounding communities. We can also assist with all your AC installation, replacement, and repair needs. Simply contact our company today to schedule your next service appointment with one of our experienced technicians.
