Well, here we are in mid-august and many families are still spending most of their time at home due to the COVID19 pandemic. We hope you and your family are safe and finding fun ways to make the most of this crazy time.
IS YOUR FULL HOUSE IMPACTING YOUR UTILITY COSTS?
While there may be some cost savings by not commuting daily, but your budget may be taking a hit on utility costs and overall comfort.
During hot days, multiple people in the home using a variety of electronics from lights, ceiling fans, tablets, smartphones, televisions, and often multiple computers day and night can not only impact your electric bill, but it can also add heat and humidity of your home.
KEEP YOUR UTILITY COSTS IN CHECK DURING THIS CRISIS AND BEYOND
Here are some ways to reduce your utility consumption while keeping your home more comfortable.
LIGHTING
It’s a good time to assess your lighting. Are you still using incandescent light bulbs? When you turn on an incandescent bulb, electricity is converted to heat in the tiny, tungsten wire inside. In a 75-watt bulb, the wire heats up to about 4600 degrees Fahrenheit! Running several of these bulbs throughout your home can add heat.
Consider changing out to LED bulbs. LED bulbs produce very little heat and consumer far less energy. It’s true LED bulbs are more expensive but they last for 35,000-60,000 hours compared to an incandescent bulb that lasts 1,000-1,200 hours and also justifies the extra cost due to reduced electricity usage. Also, compared to just two years ago, LED bulb costs have come down dramatically. There are dozens of options on Amazon to consider, some can be controlled by Alexa, Google apps too.
SMART THERMOSTATS & SMART DEVICES
Consider installing a smart thermostat. A standard thermostat requires some guesswork on our part. Will it be 75 degrees to today or 102 degrees? Many smart thermostats today monitor external temperatures and adjust room temperatures accordingly.
Since we are on the subject of smart devices, using various smart devices to turn off games, TVs, computers that are not in use can be easily done via smartphone applications from anywhere. Kids leave the TV and lights on in the basement during dinner time? Shut these devices down with a few clicks or via voice command. Deactivating electronics, not in use can help keep your electric bill in check.
CHECK OUT YOUR ATTIC!
Do you have sufficient attic insulation? Click here to learn more about attic insulation>. If your attic is hot, consider an attic fan. Here in the Midwest, you want to consider an attic fan with a thermostat that activates when the attic reaches a specified temperature and one that has a humidistat as well. A humidistat is activated when attic humidity rises. During times when all doors, windows are closed, moisture from cooking, cleaning, and bathing can rise into the attic. If the moisture isn’t exhausted from the attic it can condense on wood and other surfaces including insulation, this can lead to mildew and mold problems. Further, wet insulation loses its capacity to insulate which means heat from the attic can transfer to the living space below causing you to run your cooling system longer to achieve ideal room temperatures.
USE CEILING & WHOLE HOUSE FAN
Use ceiling fans or your whole house fan if you have one. In the evening when temperatures drop, open a few windows and activate your whole house fan. This will not only keep your home cooler in the evening, it can reduce airborne bacteria and viruses improving the indoor air quality of your home. Don’t have a whole house fan? Learn more about the benefits here>
MORE TIPS FROM CONSUMER REPORTS
Other great tips from Consumer Reports click here>
ATTIC AIR
We are Attic Air, we offer insulation and attic ventilation services including attic fans, whole-house fans in the Chicago Metro area. Call us for a free attic assessment at 630.830.3870.
We follow all COVID19 safe guidelines including masks and protective gear.