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Best Ways to Beat the Heat of Summer

tips to beat the heat by McCullough

Austin’s summers are HOT – there’s no getting around that. If you’re standing outside in the middle of the day, you will feel the heat. However, the heat is not inevitable inside your home. Your air conditioner should be equipped to outrun even the hottest Texas afternoons. Here are a few things YOU can do to help your AC combat the swelter of summer without breaking the bank:

Seven Tips to Beat the Heat

Set your thermostat to 78˚or higher.
As outlined in this TXU Energy Summer Weather Tips, raising your thermostat one degree can save you 8% in air conditioning energy costs. Raising your thermostat also puts less of a burden on your AC system, which means there is less of a risk that something will go wrong when you need your AC the most.

Run ceiling fans in key areas.
To make yourself feel a bit more comfortable, run ceiling fans in the rooms where you spend most of your time. Ceiling fans are not really doing anything to reduce the temperature, but the movement of air against your skin makes you feel like it is cooler. (Fans are only helpful if you are in the room, so turn off fans in unoccupied spaces).

Maintain your AC.
You also want to make sure you are giving your AC system the care and maintenance it needs. In months of heavy use, make sure you change your filter once a month, as clogged filters restrict airflow, which is bad for the system and could cause it to freeze up.

Keep the house sealed up.
Don’t let the kids leave doors hanging open or allow your pets to come in and out a hundred times each day. Every time a door or window is opened – even for a moment – the hot air is released into the house as the conditioned air you pay for escapes into your yard.

Don’t turn on the oven.
Heating your kitchen is just making your AC work harder. Utilize your toaster oven for small items that need to be cooked or heated up or embrace your crock pot and outdoor grill for the summer months.

Keep your refrigerator closed as much as possible.
It might seem like your fridge would be adding cold air into your kitchen. Heck, it might be tempting to stand in the refrigerator’s cool air for a moment just to feel relief. The reality is, the harder the refrigerator works, the hotter it makes your kitchen. Your fridge is a machine with a motor that gets heated when it runs needlessly. Plus, when warmer air enters your refrigerator, the foods inside are susceptible to less optimal conditions, too.

Keeps your blinds and curtains closed.
Blocking out the sun and heat makes your AC more efficient. In fact, turning off lamps and overhead lights that you’re not actively using will cut down on the heat in the room, too. The darker the better!

All of these quick, FREE tips are going to help keep your home cool while protecting against unwanted repair issues and high energy bills. If you do experience an issue with your AC, our technicians are available 24/7 to help. Call McCullough today at (512) 866-9821  to schedule a routine tune-up or needed repair.

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