by Christopher Smith

Created on: February 21, 2010   Last Updated: February 22, 2010

How to save money and keep your home cool this summer.

I thought I’d share this with the readership long before the summer months begin so that you can plan on using this method the first time you want to cool your home.  I’ll start with an overview of my home’s heating and cooling system.

We live in the northeastern United States and, although it doesn’t get hot here as it does in the southern states, when my body starts to feel the temperature get up to 85 degrees and higher, our thicker, northern blood reacts and the perspiration begins to flow.

Our home has forced-air heating and central air conditioning, a feature that initially saves on the cost of the home because it utilizes the same distribution system (known as plenums) that are enclosed in the ceilings and walls of the home.  Homes that utilize forced hot water for heat (also known as baseboard heating) and central air to cool it requires a separate distribution system for the cool air, i.e., plenums enclosed in the walls and ceilings.  The heating and cooling system in our home uses one, powerful fan for both systems.  The difference is, the unit that produces the cool air is separate from the heating system, and is located outdoors. 

So, how do we stay cool during those uncomfortably hot days and nights and do it economically?  Well, we generally start using this method early in the day, long before the hotter temperatures are attained.  We turn on the fan that moves the cool, conditioned air . . . but not the air conditioner, and we leave the fan running, sometimes overnight.  Doing this keeps the ambient-temperature air circulating throughout the house, giving the sensation that there is a cool, refreshing breeze moving through the house. 

So, how much energy, and consequently cost, does this technique save, and conversely, what is the cost of that savings?  Well, I’ll explain how I made that determination using the electric rate we pay in our area; you can use the formula and your electric rate to determine how much you can expect to save, and what that savings will cost.

Our electric utility uses three tiers to compute our cost for electrical power, which as of this writing are: tier 1, $0.0857 per kilowatt hour (kWh); tier 2, $0.0787 per kWh; and tier 3, $0.101627 per kWh.  I use the highest tier rate for worst case scenario.

In order to compute the cost, you will need to know how much current, in Amperes,

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