by Leigh Goessl

Created on: July 15, 2009   Last Updated: February 24, 2011

Beating the summer heat often uses a lot of energy consumption because the first thing many people tend to reach for is the air conditioner button to cool things off. Unfortunately air conditioners tend to consume a lot of electricity which can be costly.

While avoiding turning off the air conditioning may be difficult due to high temperatures, by taking a few extra steps you can effectively reduce your air conditioner usage, overall electricity consumption and, as a result, lower those costly electric bills. The trick is to find ways to limit use of high-powered appliances, such as the air conditioner, and still maintain a comfortable home.

Here are a few tips you can try to use in attempts to conserve electricity consumption during the summer:

• Air Conditioning

Not using air conditioning is probably the best energy conservation approach, so it is best to avoid running the air during times the extra cooling is not necessary. If you are out of the house for the day, plan to raise the thermostat a little, keep the air on low enough to keep the house from becoming overheated, but high enough so the air conditioner is not running constantly during the time frame when no one is in the home.

Turning off the air conditioner whenever possible is the best tactic to conserve energy, but this is not always doable, especially if you are home during the day, have pets and/or live in a region prone to higher temperatures. The good news is energy can be conserved by making accommodations to help reduce air conditioner use through minor changes in the rest of the home.

Keeping the shades drawn during the day when the temperatures are high and sun is shining bright will ease the burden on your air conditioner. Additionally if you invest in heavy duty drapes, this will help seal coolness in and keep the heat out, especially if the house has window drafts/

Another tactical approach you can use is to close off vents from rooms you are not using or, if you live in a multi-floor dwelling, close off the vents downstairs. Since heat rises, this will keep most of the air circulating in the rooms which will need it most and energy will not be wasted cooling down lower floors which also tend to have a lower temperature since heat rises.

Also, if temperatures drop in the evenings and are on the cool side, if you turn off the air at night and run fans to suck in the coolness from outside, this will cool your house down overnight and may even eliminate your need for air the next

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