1. Your AC And Your Energy Bill
Have you ever thought about how much your air conditioner impacts your electricity bills? People who get high electricity bills usually blame some other devices and appliances.
Well, yes, your fridge and clothes dryer both use a lot of energy. Of course, your heating system is a huge consumer, too. But, did you know that your air conditioner is among the top 5 “electricity eaters” in your home?
Let’s say you use your AC for only 3 hours a day. This can add up to 50$ to your monthly electricity bill. But, don’t worry. You can still control how often and how long you will use your air conditioner. This also means that you can actually influence lowering your electricity bill.
2. What Should I Keep My Thermostat On During Months Of Extreme Heat
Summer is great. You have to love it. You can finally spend a lot of time outside, hang out with your friends, and go on a vacation.
Yet, depending on where you live and with all these climate changes we’ve been experiencing extremely high summer temperatures. It can be unpleasant both for you and your utility bill. Here’s what you can do to handle this inconvenience.
If you want to save money and still feel comfortable during hot summer days then set your thermostat at 78°F when you are at home. When you are away, set a higher temperature. This can significantly lower your energy consumption.
If you have a programmable thermostat, setting the ideal temperature will be really easy. When you set a lower temperature when you are at home and a higher while you are away, you can save up to 10% on your AEP Ohio energy bill.
3. Other Ways You Can Stay Cool While Keeping Your Energy Bill Low
It’s not enough to only set your AC at the ideal temperature to stay cool during the hot summer days. There are some other things you can do to help yourself and lower the temperature at your Ohio place.
Dress for the weather. If you want to stay cool and save on your American Electric Power bill then you can explore other ways of staying cool other than relying solely on your AC. Some ways to stay cool are wearing loose clothing, utilizing your ceiling fan, and staying hydrated. If you are going to be outdoors staying cool requires proper clothing. This means no shorts, no tank tops, and definitely no sagging T-shirts or sweatshirts. A proper cotton shirt, shorts, and pants should be worn at all times when staying outside. Avoid drying out your body in the sun. Keeping out of the sun is one of the simplest yet effective ways to stay cool in summer.
Blackout curtains can be of great help here. They block the sunlight and keep your place darker. This will reduce the need for your air conditioner. As the AC works less and for shorter periods of time, the numbers on your electricity bill will also go down.
Ceiling fans are environmentally friendly and they can you feel as if the temperature is up to 10 degrees lower. Not to mention that they use much less electric energy than an air conditioning system.
Last, don’t forget that you need to take enough water to stay cool and hydrated. This is especially important during hot summer days when you need to drink more water than usual. Your body is extremely efficient at regulating its temperature. But doing so requires a substantial amount of water. Becoming dehydrated is possible in the Summer, either inside or outside. The first symptom to look for is discolored, or even a lack of urine, followed by a headache. Heat-stroke can soon follow dehydration. Heatstroke is characterized by a body temperature of over 104F (40C). It is often accompanied by confusion, agitation, and even loss of consciousness. If someone stops sweating in very hot weather, they are probably on the way to heat stroke. While dehydration can be treated by a big increase in water, heatstroke is an emergency situation that requires medical intervention to reduce the body temperature before irreparable organ damage occurs.
Final thoughts
The air conditioners are great and very helpful. Yet, as you can see, sometimes you need neither an air conditioner nor electricity to stay cool in summer. Hopefully, some of these ideas can help you lower the temperature and the energy consumption in your Ohio home.
