Tips For Homeowners Facing Higher Summer Cooling Bills

The official start of summer is less than a week away, Memorial Day, and with the thoughts of summer fun coming to mind, you might want to keep an eye on your thermostat. It's expected that this year will cost people roughly 8.5% more to cool their homes than last year, so with that in mind, we've got some cooling tips for you.

“Families are squeezed from both directions”

The National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) released a report back in April outlining why families are being squeezed from multiple directions, and this summer could make things worse.

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According to the report from NEADA, "The average cost of electricity for home cooling is projected to reach $778 this summer, an 8.5 percent increase from last year and nearly 37 percent higher than in 2020."

“Families are squeezed from both directions,” said Mark Wolfe, Executive Director of NEADA. “They are paying more for electricity, and they need more of it to stay safe during increasingly hot summers.”

It's a Two-Part Problem For Consumers

The squeeze for consumers is coming from two places: the first is that the cost of electricity producers has gone up due to various reasons, including higher fuel costs. The second issue that consumers are dealing with is hotter temperatures for longer periods of time, meaning people are running their air conditioners longer.

How Can You Keep Cool Without Spending Too Much?

So knowing that it's going to be costing us more this summer to stay cool, here are some tips for you to reduce your spend, while staying 'comfortable' inside this summer.

Set your thermostat to 78 while you are home. According to the Department of Energy, this is the sweet spot for your home. 78 allows your AC unit to run in longer, steadier cycles, giving it enough time to properly dehumidify your home.
4 x 4 Rule The 4x4 rule works by you setting your thermostat higher by 4 degrees if you are going to be gone 4 or more hours. This makes sense. Why pay for cooling air if you aren't there to enjoy it?
Change your filter. Make sure you are changing your filter every 30-60 days, keeping your AC balanced, and pushing the most air it can through a clean air filter.
Close the blinds and turn on your ceiling fans. Keep your house cooler by closing the blinds and turning your ceiling fans on to circulate the air inside. (Make sure your fan is turning the right direction first)

Hopefully, you can use some of these tips to make your summer a little more comfortable for you and your bank account.