Date Posted: 2012-10-03 02:24:03
Site Posted: Myproperty.ph
Despite the sudden bursts of heavy rain in the past few weeks, most days stay hot and humid, prompting residents to stay indoors where it’s much cooler. If you live in a condo, you might be tempted to crank up the A/C in an effort to stay comfortable, but doing so will drive up your electricity bill. If you want to keep your unit cool without causing a spike in your monthly charges, apply the following tips:
1. During the day, close the curtains of windows that are directly facing the sun to keep the heat from coming in. It would be best to do this from 11AM to 2PM, when the day is at its hottest.
2. Incandescent bulbs release quite a lot of heat while producing light. If your unit has this kind of light, replace it with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), which make less heat while emitting the same amount of brightness.
3. You can still use the A/C, but make sure that you do so at the right time. Turn it on during the hottest hours of the day, and do so for only around one or two hours. Make sure that the front door is closed so that cold air doesn’t get out.
4. Check your air filters and make sure that they’re clean. If they’re not, the A/C will have to work much harder to push cold air into your condo, which can drive up your power use and your bill.
5. Use an electric fan to increase air circulation, especially after turning off the A/C. You can also create better cross-ventilation with an electric fan if you open the windows, but wait until nighttime or the cooler part of the day to do this.
6. Certain chores like cooking and ironing produce heat and increase the temperature in the condo, so it would be better to do them in the evening.
7. Humidity can also cause your unit to feel warm, so make sure that you do what you can to drive it out, such as turning on the exhaust fan whenever you shower or take a bath.
The great thing about these tips is that they work best in small places like condos, so be sure to carry out as many of these suggestions as you want and as often as you can.
Jillian Cariola, Writer
Image attribution
Thumbnail: Mateusz Stachowski
This page: John Nyberg
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