How to Lower Electric Bills While Your Kids Are on Summer Vacation
When the kids are home from school on summer vacation, have you ever noticed how expensive your home energy bills become?
There is no coincidence here. The combination of the summer season and your children being home are surely the cause of these astronomical bills you now have to pay.
Rather than accepting this increase in your energy bills, be conscious in making changes so you can take a deep breath of relief.
1) Limit Indoor Electronic Use
Saturday morning cartoons and some late-night video games are a part of every kid’s life, but this shouldn’t be something they do day-in and day-out for the entirety of the summer.
Between the TVs, gaming consoles, and computers, your electric bills can skyrocket if this is an everyday thing. Your electricity bill will look like the high score of the video game your child just beat.
Limit the use of electronics for specific times each day and encourage your children to spend most of their days outside with friends.
2) Pump the Brakes on the Thermostat
Can you name the biggest energy waster in your entire home this summer? Of course, it’s your A/C unit! Your HVAC system will account for roughly half of your energy usage this summer. So it’s important to keep a few things in mind:
- There’s no need to have your thermostat set to a temperature in the 60s. You can live comfortably on a thermostat set to a number like 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you haven’t had it serviced by a professional HVAC technician this year, make this a top priority. This technician will be able to look for any malfunctioning parts that need repair, allowing the unit to workmore efficiently and expend less energy.
- Assess how old your current A/C unit is. If it’s over the decade mark, have it evaluated by a professional technician to see how much “juice” it has left in the tank. Even if you can get a few more years out of it, it never hurts to see what your options are for the future — especially if it ever breaks down on you during the next heatwave.
- If you are currently relying on window units, please consider upgrading. You don’t know how much money you’re wasting in energy bills while you’re sitting in your unevenly cooled home…
3) Go Tankless
Since your kids are going to be around the house more during summer, this means everyone is going to be around the house more. Which also means the use of hot water is going to increase.
Between an increase in showers, baths, washing dishes, etc., your water heater is going to see a spike in usage. Unfortunately, the water heater is the second biggest energy waster in your home — especially when you have a water heater with a HUGE tank.
Rather than wasting energy by having all of the water in the tank heated, replace it with a tankless model that will only heat the water as you use it. You’ll notice savings instantly on your energy bills, as well as in the long-term since they have an increased average lifespan compared to the big tank models.
You know you don’t have to pay these ridiculously high energy bills, right?
When you’re sick of paying an absurd amount each month to power your home, know that we’re here to help you out!
Between HVAC repair, A/C replacement, tankless water heater installation, and home electrical services, our team is more than capable of making your home more efficient!
