Wednesday, March 19, 2008

chill out

believe it or not, the summer months are edging nearer, and, if you’re lucky enough to have an air conditioner (i, unfortunately, am not), you need to remember that -- just like your furnace -- it needs some yearly tlc.

be sure check out your unit’s air filters once a month and clean or replace filters, as necessary. keeping your filters clean can cut energy consumption 5 to 15 percent. also, make sure that the drain channels and coils on outdoor units are not clogged.

to keep cooling costs down, run the forced-air system's fan -- not the air conditioner -- to maintain a comfortable temperature. simply flip the thermostat to "fan only" to recycle air throughout the house.

also, while i can only guess (pout) how tempting it must be to crank the a/c when it’s 90-plus degrees outside, keep the thermostat at 78 degrees when you home. when no one will be there, set the thermostat at 85 degrees. that way, you reduce the need for air conditioning and save energy, as well as have extra cash on hand for your labor day barbecue.

last, if you have ceiling fans or other fans, turn them on. the blowing air can make you feel 5 degrees cooler, without running the air conditioner. not to mention, that fans use a lot less electricity than air conditioners! btw... check out today's daily danny (by the extremely FAB danny seo) on this very topic!

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