ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The summer heat seems to have settled in and made itself at home. But there are ways to keep you and your home comfortable without emptying your wallet.
Officials at the Department of Energy suggest keeping your house a few degrees warmer than normal, setting the thermostat to a temperature as high as is comfortable when at home.
“The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be,” the energy.gov website said, noting that a 7- to 10-degree change in the thermostat setting could save as much as 10 percent on your bill.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, other ways to help reduce utility bills include cleaning and trimming around outdoor HVAC units so air can flow freely, washing dust and dirt from cooling coils, replacing air conditioner filters, checking that ceiling or tabletop fans are in good working order, cleaning fan blades so the motor can work efficiently and move air better, reducing oven time and plugging duct system leaks.
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