AC is a hog; ask Roberts Electric about installing fans to help cut down on summer electricity bills
Summer is here, and those who live in East Bay communities know that air conditioning is a hog, accounting for 60-70% of your summer electricity bill. Those who live in places like Danville, Concord and Livermore know that you can’t completely eliminate your AC, but you can cut back significantly by using fans, running your AC less often and dialing it up a few degrees when you do run it. Turn off fans when you leave a room. Fans cool people–not rooms.
Think about these stats:
- A 2.5-ton central AC system uses about 3,500 watts.
- A floor fan uses 100 watts
- Ceiling fans use 15 to 90 watts
How to Save Energy with Fans
- Make sure your fan is blowing DOWN, to send air past your body, removing the hot air that surrounds your body. If your fan is blowing air upwards, it won’t do any good. Nearly all fans have a switch to change the fan direction—just make sure you’ve turned the fan off before
- Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room–fans cool people, not rooms. Fans create a wind chill effect.
- Clean or replace your AC filter every month. A dirty filter makes your AC work harder, which uses more electricity.
- When you shower or bathe, use the bathroom fan to remove the heat and humidity from your home.
- Ceiling fans cost less than you might think—beginning at $100 or so at your local home improvement store, and usually cost less than a penny an hour to run.
- Consider Energy Star fans—better performance, longer life and quieter, these fans use less energy and lower your electricity bill.