Save Money by Running Your Air Conditioner Less

You can save money by running your air conditioner less.

Spend less on energy costs this summer by setting your thermostat a little higher than usual or not turning your air conditioning on as often. And the good news is, you don't have to break a sweat to do it. Here's how to keep your cool while running your air conditioner less:

1. Run Your Ceiling Fan

Using a ceiling fan is an effective way to help you feel cooler while running your air conditioner less often -- you can turn up your thermostat by several degrees without feeling any less comfortable when you run your ceiling fan. There's no need to run it 24/7, though: According to energy.gov, fans don't actually cool rooms down, they cool us down by creating a wind chill effect (the same thing that makes you feel colder when the wind blows outside even though the temperature doesn't change). So, there's no need to run the fan when you're not in the room.

2. Run the Bathroom Exhaust Fan

Don't wait until you get out of the shower to turn on the overhead fan. As soon as you enter your bathroom to turn on the water for a bath or shower, turn on your exhaust fan as well. You would be amazed at the temperature difference this can make, especially if you have an on-suite bathroom. If you've ever left the bathroom door open after a long, hot shower, you probably already know that it can virtually turn your bedroom into a sauna. It's important that you ensure the vent pulls the air outside and doesn't just direct into the attic, which ultimately keeps the heat inside the house.

3. Run Your Appliances at Ideal Times

Your dishwasher, oven and dryer all put off much more heat than you probably realize. Running them at cooler times of day such as very early in the morning or late at night will have less of a heating effect to your house than if you run them during the hotter parts of the day. An added bonus? If your energy company charges less for usage of appliances during off-peak hours, you could pay less to run those appliances in the end.

4. Turn Off the Lights

Believe it or not, lamps and overhead lights put off a lot of heat, especially if you use old-fashioned bulbs (if you've ever tried to change one of those when it has just been turned off, you probably have some idea of how hot it can get!). Turn off any lights you truly don't need in the evening and at night, turn them off during the day and use CFL light bulbs whenever you can.

5. Shade Your Self

Buy blackout curtains if you don't have them already. Investing in blackout curtains has literally changed my life. I often need to sleep during daytime hours and I sleep much better having them up than I did before, when I relied on just vertical blinds and regular panel curtains. Blackout curtains not only cause less light to come through your windows (and thereby, less heat), they can also help to block out noise if you have noisy neighbors or you're near a busy road.