Energy Bill Tips to Save Money some Simple Hacks from My Window Man Portland, Oregon

It is almost spring and summer will be right around the corner. We could all use a few ideas to help save on our energy bills when it comes to cooling your home.

Summer without a doubt is a time when energy bills tend to soar. Because so many people use air conditioners to cool their homes, energy bills tend to skyrocket. The average cost to operate one window AC unit, on average costs $70 dollars a month, a 1500 square foot home requires 24,000 BTUs to properly cool your home. However, you can still keep your home comfortable while saving on your energy bills this summer. We'll talk about a couple of small ways that can make a big impact in this blog post!

Summer energy saving questions?

You can save energy and money by installing window film during the summer. It is easy to apply and can be found at most hardware stores. You can expect to spend $5-8 per square foot, or an average home may range from $325 to $845 depending on the amount of windows.. Window film insulates your home and keeps cool air in while keeping hot air out. The benefits are outstanding UVA protection, fade and glare reduction, great in terms of keeping the heat out. When you shop for window film, look for a product that has a high solar reflectance rating. This will guarantee that it keeps your home cool efficiently.

In order to apply window film, you must clean the surface of the window first. Next, cut the film to size and spray it on the window using soapy water, then remove any bubbles with a squeegee. Trim off any excess film after the film has been applied to the window.

Window film has a proven reputation for being able to help keep your home cool and save you money on your energy bills especially if you have a large number of south-side facing if you have windows that receive direct sunlight.

In order to know if a film will help insulate a home, what should one look for?

Again choose a quality window film with a high solar reflectance rating. This will ensure that the film keeps your home cool.

What are the benefits of using vent fans in the kitchen and bathroom to keep a house cooler?

By exhausting hot air from the kitchen and bathroom, vent fans are a good way to keep a house cool. This creates a negative pressure inside the house, which causes cooler air to be drawn in from outside. Additionally, a vent fan will help remove moisture from the air, improving its comfort and creating a more tolerable atmosphere.

Because the air is already saturated with water and cannot hold any more moisture, high humidity levels can make it feel warmer inside your home, even when the temperature is set at a comfortable level. Imagine a sauna if you may. As a result, your air conditioner has to work harder to remove the excess moisture from the air, so it uses more energy and which in turn causes an increase in your overall energy bill.

In addition to removing some humidity from the air, a vent fan can make your home more comfortable without cranking the air conditioner up in the kitchen and bathroom. Circulation of air can cool a room anywhere from 4 to 7 degrees and the average air condition will lower a homes temperature by 20 degrees. You will also be able to remove any cooking odors or bathroom odors from your home with the vent fan, making your home more pleasant to live in.

It takes a little creativity to make a fan better at cooling down a room using ice cubes and salt. These tips are great for small spaces or if you want to cool down a space quickly without using a lot of energy. Put them to use and see how well they work!

When you open your windows on opposite sides of your house, you will be able to create a natural draft in your house. Paired with fans to circulate the air and create a more pronounced breeze next to the open windows. This will allow the hot air to escape and be replaced by cooler air from outside, providing the air is cooler outside. People typically do this early in the morning before the sun is out in full force or once the evening cool down takes effect. 

If you live in an apartment with only one window, what should you do?

If your apartment only has windows on one side, you can still create a natural breeze by opening the windows and using fans to circulate the air. You may not get as strong a breeze as if you had windows on both sides, but it will help to cool things down.

This is a great way to save energy and keep your home cool and comfortable during the summer season by using open windows and fans.

Don't forget these tips next time you're trying to save money on your energy bills. Stay cool and comfortable while saving money on your energy bill by following these simple tips.

If you have a ceiling fan, you can also raise the temperature on your thermostat. A ceiling fan will circulate the air and make the room feel cooler, even at a higher temperature. Using these tips, you can raise your thermostat's temperature without sacrificing your comfort. You will save energy and money by doing this.

Just raising the thermostat five degrees can save you up to five percent on your energy bill. So, if you're looking for ways to save money this summer, adjusting the thermostat is a great place to start.

What is the cost of installing a smart thermostat?

It depends on the type of thermostat you choose how much it will cost to install a smart thermostat. In addition to saving money on your energy bills, a smart thermostat can be as cheap as $29, while more advanced models can cost as much as $249.

Heat-emitting incandescent light bulbs are much less efficient than LED bulbs, so switching to LEDs can help you save money on your energy bill. People don’t realize that LED light bulbs use almost %75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb. The average 60-watt incandescent bulb costs .20 cents if used for 24 hours. Do a little math and you get the idea.

Energy Star estimates that replacing one 60-watt incandescent bulb with an LED bulb can save you $75 over the lifespan of the bulb.

Additionally, LED bulbs are more durable than incandescent bulbs, they have many other pro’s and you'll likely need to replace them less frequently.

Sealing up cracks around windows and doors is easy with caulk. By sealing up these cracks, you can keep cool air in and hot air out, helping you save money on your energy bills. Caulk is a flexible, waterproof material that can be used to fill in gaps and cracks around your home.

You can find lots of instruction videos and articles on how to apply caulk online. Or you can seek out a professional to help with some of these small projects. Sealing up cracks around your windows and doors is an easy, affordable, and quick way to save money on your energy bills this summer.

What are the signs that your home has air leaks?

We suggest spending a little time inspecting the interior gaps between your windows and the sill. If you see large gaps or big cracks in the caulk you might be able to identify the issue at hand. If you see stains from areas where moisture may have seeped in that is another possible indication that you have a fail point allowing air in.

Weatherstripping is a material used to seal gaps and cracks around windows, doors, and other openings in a building to prevent air infiltration. It is usually made of rubber, foam, or vinyl and is used to fill in the gaps around the edges of a door or window frame. Weatherstrip is designed to keep out wind, rain, snow, and other environmental elements while also reducing energy costs. It can be applied around the edges of windows and doors to create a tight seal, preventing air from seeping through. Weatherstrip is also used to seal other openings in a building, such as around ducts, vents, and pipes, to prevent air leaks.

Blinds can help to save energy by blocking out sunlight and keeping rooms cool in the summer, and insulating windows and trapping heat in the winter. By blocking out direct sunlight in the summer, blinds reduce the amount of heat that enters a space, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning. In the winter, the same mechanism works in reverse, trapping heat indoors and reducing the need for heating. Blinds can also help to reduce energy usage by reducing glare, which reduces the need for electric lighting during the day.

Thanks for spending time reading about a few simple hacks to save money this summer here Portland, Oregon as you get ready for the summer. Remember my window man is everything windows and more!! We are full of useful information and enjoy giving insight. Follow us on Facebook for Updates and Information about all things windows.