Summer heat doesn’t have to mean high energy costs; with energy-efficient options available, there are ways landlords and renters alike can ensure comfortable temperatures indoors while keeping the bills low.
Summer is finally here, and for many of us, that means vacations, trips to the beach, and backyard barbecues. However, with summer also comes higher energy bills. With temperatures on the rise in the summer months, maintaining a comfortable temperature inside your home often comes at a price. After all, air conditioning isn’t cheap.
Fortunately, there are some easy ways you can cut down on your energy usage this summer and trim down on your cooling costs without having to suffer through uncomfortably hot days and nights in your home or investment property.
In fact, if you begin making your preparations now, you’ll be able to start the summer off saving a few hundred dollars. Here are seven energy-efficient solutions to reduce your energy costs in the summer months:
1. Give Your AC a Checkup
One of the first and most important things you should do before summer kicks it into high gear is to give your air conditioner a thorough checkup to make sure it’s functioning as optimally as it should. Simply cleaning a clogged filter in your AC unit can save up to 15% in energy usage and will help it work better so it won’t break down. However, if your A/C is more than 10 years old, it could be time to replace it with something new.
Learn more: Summer Maintenance for Your Rental Property
2. Install Ceiling Fans
You may not realize this, but ceiling fans can work wonders for keeping a room cool without having to rely so much on your A/C unit. While they don’t actually cool the temperature of a room, ceiling fans can make it feel cooler simply by moving the air around. This cooler air evaporates the perspiration on our skin, creating the wind chill effect that makes a room feel cooler without changing its actual temperature.
Ceiling fans use considerably less energy than A/C systems do and, when used in conjunction with each other, they can help increase comfort and save energy costs. With both your ceiling fans and A/C running at the same time, you’ll be able to increase the thermostat by a few degrees without sacrificing your comfort. In turn, your A/C will run less frequently, lowering your energy costs overall. Make sure to set your ceiling fan blades to counterclockwise so that they push cooler air down to the floor.
Learn more: Heat Wave Preparation
3. Add Window Treatments
Air conditioning systems work hardest in rooms with windows where the sun is allowed to shine in, creating a greenhouse effect that makes rooms warm and uncomfortable. A simple solution is to install window blinds or shades if the property doesn’t already have them.
There are a variety of options for you to choose from, including room-darkening window treatments that can help reduce some of the light and warmth that gets into your home. If you’re really trying to save on cash, consider purchasing budget-friendly window coverings. To get the most energy savings out of your window treatments, tenants should make sure to keep them closed when the sun is at its warmest—usually between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tenants may also want to leave their windows open overnight to let cool air in, then close and cover them during the day to keep the heat out.
4. Suggest Unplugging Electronics
Most people don’t realize how much energy they’re using simply by keeping appliances and electronics plugged in while they’re not being used. Television sets, DVD players, computers, and anything with a clock or light that stays on when the device is powered off can drain power and waste energy. Encourage your tenants to unplug electronics when they aren’t using them to keep energy costs down. This doesn’t mean they have to go around their home plugging and unplugging all of their electrical devices all the time. Instead, they can plug their electronics into surge protectors or use outlets that connect to wall switches. This way, when these are turned off, there’s no power to drain.
5. Add Insulation
You know that insulation can help keep your home warm during the cold winter months, but did you know that it can also keep your home cool in the summertime as well? Most people don’t realize that insulation can help reduce heat gain through their home’s surfaces, preventing outdoor warmth from entering through the roof, attic, walls, and floors.
By ensuring that the home is properly insulated, warm air will be blocked from getting in and cool air from escaping when it’s hot out, so tenants won’t need to crank the A/C up just to maintain a comfortable temperature inside.
6. Recommend Tenants Fully Load the Washing Machine
Pass along this tip to your tenants to help them keep their energy costs down. Whether the dishwasher and washing machine are full or not, they’re still using the same amount of water and energy when they’re running. When washing clothes or running the dishwasher, suggest they use full loads so they get a lot more for their money—and run the machines less often. Another tip for using their washing machine and dishwasher more efficiently and cutting costs is to avoid using hot water whenever possible. Did you know that a large percentage of the energy used by your washing machine goes toward heating the water? You can save a tremendous amount of energy simply by doing your laundry on either the cold or warm cycle.
For added energy savings, renters can take advantage of the warm weather and dry clothes outdoors instead of putting them through the dryer. By doing this, they’ll save energy, cut costs, and help prevent the temperature inside the home from rising due to heat-generating appliances.
7. Tint Your Windows
You’ve heard of tinting your car windows to block out the sun and keep the inside of your car cooler, but did you know you can do this with the windows in your home, too? Adding a window tint (also known as a window film) can help you save a ton of money and stay cooler at the same time. Often applied to the interior windows, window tints can help block ultraviolet light from entering your home, allowing you to better control the temperature inside and improve your home’s energy efficiency.
This article was originally published in July 2019 and has since been updated.