This summer in Kansas City is a hot one. Which means we are all spending a lot more time at home. These factors mean your home cooling bills have gone through the roof. And, you are not the only one. So we here at Window Film Kansas City decided to make an exhaustive list to help you save as much money as possible during these trying times.
- Keep an Eye on Your Thermostat: During the heat of the summer, it is critical to watch your thermostat, if you have central air. A 78-degree setting is actually the ideal setting when it comes to your Kansas City home being energy efficient. This will save you 20% over a lower 72-degree setting!
- Use Fans in Every Room: If you are keeping your thermostat to 78-degrees, you will likely still need a bit of help to keep the interior of your KC home cooler. The way to do this is by using fans in every room. The temperature reduction from fans work the same as the wind-chill factor–it makes rooms feel cooler.
- Open the Windows: Of course, you don’t want to open your windows during the heat of the day when it is hot. You risk letting out all the air you paid to cool. However, after an evening storm or on one of our cooler Kansas City nights–opening a window and using a fan will cost you less than running the A/C.
- Stop Using Incandescent Light Bulbs: Incandescent light bulbs may only give off a little bit of heat, but, cutting every small corner is the key to saving the most money on cooling bills during the summer. LED bulbs cut back on ambient heat which contributes to less electricity overall.
- Lower the Use of Heat Generating Appliances: Dryers, ovens, dishwashers and microwaves and many other home appliances all release tiny bits of heat into your Kansas City home. In the hot summer, reducing the use of these appliances is an important part of keeping your KC home cooler. You can line dry clothes and throw food on the outdoor barbeque as much as possible to keep temperatures and cooling expenses low.
- Maintain Your Cooling Equipment: A/C and central air units get a lot of use in hot summer such as this one. If they are clogged or covered by dust and grime they work even harder. This leads to breakdowns and poor performance. Cleaning your units frequently and making sure repairs are less frequent and can cut cooling costs by 10-15%.
- Have Window Film Installed: One of the best ways to lower cooling bills in the summer and save a lot of cash in the winter as well–is by having energy-efficient window film for your Kansas City home. It has a ton of other benefits that come along with it too–read about those in our window film benefits blog here.
- Keep Curtains and Shades Closed: While window film is great for lower cooling bills and reducing heat in your home, Curtains and shades staying drawn will further reduce solar heat gain–especially on these 100+ degree days we are seeing in Kansas City
While all of these ideas together are what will save the most money on your utilities in the heat of the Kansas City summer–window film is arguably the most effective of all of these solutions–and comes with other benefits. Contact us here at Window Film Kansas City for more details and to get pricing.
