It’s almost getting to the point of a slight obsession.
But I just love figuring out new ways to save on HVAC cooling.
But that wasn’t always the case. It’s just been a few years now since I actually got a handle on the HVAC cooling costs. The biggest change was not turning on the air conditioning until mid May at least. I got that little nugget from a native who has lived here all his life. We just stopped turning on the air conditioning right away when the temperature is jump over 70 or 75. That’s just spring around here and you just enjoy it. Doing so allowed us to get more accustomed to high temperatures which has made a tremendous difference. Increasingly though, I’ve added to that strategy each summer. I prepped the house to be sure that it’s sealed up tight. That might mean replacing weather stripping or making sure the seals around the windows are tight. I also caulked up any gaps I can find on the exterior. Of course, you have to mitigate direct sunlight heating with shades. This summer I took it to another level by not using the stove or the oven. I simply cooked outside on the grill for anything that needed to be hot. Additionally, I stopped using the clothes dryer whenever I could. Instead of heating up the house, I started hanging the clothes out to dry. My wife loved that part. And again, we beat our savings on HVAC cooling from the previous summer. I’m going to have to keep thinking up ways to save even more on air conditioning costs for next summer.