This is a guest post by Jessica Wagner.
Everybody knows the home air conditioner chews away at the summer budget. However, your main budget enemies during the summer months are actually your A/C-running gas guzzler, entertaining the kids home from school, and not doing enough to reduce home energy use in simple effective ways. The following are tips to shave a few dollars off the summertime budget that are so easy you’ll have a hard time not giving them a try.
RECIRCULATE CAR AIR EFFICIENTLY
Virtually every automobile with an air conditioner includes a recirculation button. Nobody needs to be explained what this does, but most people are unsure as to how to use it properly. The common instinct is to get the A/C and recirculation going at the same time. However, the air inside a sitting car will probably be hotter than the air outside. Wait about ten minutes before starting recirculation. In return, save some extra at the pump.
FILL THAT FRIDGE
One-sixth of your home energy use derives solely from your refrigerator, so consider investing in a new and modern refrigerator if you’re using an old, inefficient one. Making sure your kitchen stays relatively cool can lower this usage, but by keeping the inside fully stocked you can reduce the number of times the refrigerator re-cools itself. More cold material within the fridge means when the door is opened and closed again the air inside can be cooled much more quickly. Even if you don’t have the budget or the number of mouths necessary to pack your refrigerator, just fill it with pitchers of water.
SCOUR THE WEB FOR COUPONS, PROMOTIONS, AND DEALS
Sure this is just a high tech version of telling you to cut your coupons out of the Sunday paper, but the Internet offers a far wider variety of ways to save. Promo code collections abound online, and with just a simple web search you can find these continually-updated coupon libraries. Paid surveys, while by no means a method to retire early with, take minutes to complete and can earn you points towards websites like Amazon and iTunes, through whom you can buy just about anything that’s useful for the home or for keeping kids happy.
DISREGARD THE DRYER
In this record heat, there’s no reason why anybody should be using a machine to dry their washed clothing. Stringing a clothesline up is a possibility in virtually any living situation. Not using the dryer cuts out a large chunk of your energy bill. Plus a clothesline makes any home look a little more welcoming.
It’s scorching out there, but that doesn’t mean you have to get steamed over the burden of summertime expenses. There are ways around the surging demand for energy and smart methods to slice off a little of the cost of running the home and entertaining the kids. You just have to be a little proactive – nothing a talented mom isn’t used to.
This is a guest post by Jessica Wagner.
Also, check to see if your energy company offers any programs for A/C cycling. In Chicagoland, the primary energy company offers a $10/month credit if you allow them the option to cycle off you A/C for up to a 3 hour period weekdays from 11 am – 8 pm. Since many people work during the day, they may not even notice the lack of A/C for those three hours.
If you don’t like the idea of 3 fulls hours of no A/C, they also offer a $5/month credit if you allow them to cycle off your A/C unit for 15 minutes every half hour during that time (my details on this plan are a bit hazy since I went with the full option listed above).
The credit is good for June, July, August, and September. We’ve been using the full option and haven’t really even noticed when it’s turned off, but we do notice the lower energy bills.
Great points, Amanda! 🙂