The electric bill can get very high when you run the air conditioning. My parents never had air in the house (it figures they got it about two years after I moved out). We survived with fans and open windows.
I like my comfort, but I also hate the shock of a huge electric bill. Therefore, I made a rule this summer. Turn off the air! The air conditioner cannot be turned on unless the temperature outside is 85 or higher (and of course, it is a hot summer). My bill was $62 in July and that was with no one being home for a week. I can only imagine what the bill would have been with the air on, if the temperature were under 85, and we had been home the whole month. I can live with $62, what I can’t live with are bills that are $100 and up!
Here is what we do to make it more bearable when we are uncomfortable but haven’t reached the threshold for turning on the air:
-Keep the curtains/blinds closed (sunshine is nice, but it makes it a lot warmer inside if it is shining through the windows)
-Close the doors on rooms not in use
-Put up a blanket (or similar) to close off rooms not in use that don’t have a door
-Run a fan (s) only in rooms in use.
-I have no proven facts on this one, but I find if it is particularly humid outside it tends to stay cooler inside if I keep the windows closed.
I am not going to lie and say these tips keep our home as cool as air conditioning, but it does stay pretty comfortable. Go ahead-turn off the air-you won’t be sorry when the electric bill arrives!
