Excessive use of your air conditioner can lead to a more frequent need for AC repairs and can drive up your utility costs. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep your home cooler, so you won’t need to rely on the AC as heavily. This guide can help you cool your home naturally, so you can limit your energy consumption.

4 Steps You Can Take to Keep Cool in Your Home

1. Change Your Ceiling Fan’s Settings

In the winter months, your ceiling fan should be rotating clockwise in order to pull cool air up and force warm air down. As the warmer weather hits, switching the fan’s rotation to counterclockwise will reverse this effect and help you keep your home cooler. Since a ceiling fan uses less energy than an air conditioner, it helps you save on utility costs. Additionally, you'll also limit the amount of wear on the unit and reduce the need for frequent AC repairs.

2. Eliminate Sunlight Exposure

As sunlight shines through your windows, the heat it radiates is magnified, and this causes the home to get hotter. Your system will work harder to cool the home, and you still may feel too hot throughout the peak afternoon hours. However, keeping your blinds closed will eliminate this effect and allow you to keep the home cooler without the use of your air conditioning unit. The Huffington Post reports this can lower your utility costs by up to 7% and keep your home up to 20 degrees cooler.

3. Switch to LED Light Bulbs 

Another source of ambient heat is coming from any incandescent light bulbs you may use in your home. If you’ve ever tried to replace a blown bulb, you know just how hot they can get. LED light bulbs are much cooler because they’re designed to use almost all of their energy for light. This also helps them last longer, which means you can also save money on bulbs over several years. You can eliminate your need to overuse the air conditioner by turning off lights when they’re not needed.

4. Use Portable Fans

A portable fan uses far less energy than your AC unit, and you can take it with you from room to room. To maximize its effectiveness, set a bowl of ice at an upward angle directly in front of the fan. As the air hits the ice, it will be cooled and sent out into the room. This may produce a much cooler effect than you would get from your air conditioner, so you can stay cool without driving up your energy usage.

Whether you need seasonal maintenance or specific AC repairs, your unit will last longer when it’s serviced by an experienced professional. ZAP Cooling & Heating provides HVAC repair, installation, and other services to residential and light commercial customers. Located in Cleveland, GA, they provide service to the surrounding area, and the family-owned business is backed by more than 15 years of experience. To request service, you can contact them online or by calling (706) 219-1709.