Here in Florida, it’s no secret that our summers can be pretty hot and humid. You’ve probably experienced how quickly things can go downhill without air conditioning. The problem is, it can be really difficult to cut costs on your electric bill when our hottest weather is at its peak.
So how can you stay cool without having to pay an arm and a leg for air conditioning, while also preserving your AC unit? Continue reading to learn the temperature that Floridians are cooling off with and how you can trim your costs this year.
The Average Thermostat Temperature vs the Recommended Temperature
In Florida, our summer weather can range anywhere from 90-95 degrees during the day and 75-80 degrees in the evening. It’s no wonder why our AC units get so much use!
So what are your neighbors in central Florida actually cooling off with? Across the homes our AC technicians visit in Polk and Hillsborough counties, the thermostat is usually sitting between 74 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit in summer. That keeps a house comfortable, and it also explains a lot of the summer electric bills people ask us about.
The US Department of Energy recommends not going higher than 78 degrees, and it puts a number on the gap: running your air conditioning at 78 degrees instead of 72 saves between 6 and 18 percent on the cooling bill (Department of Energy).
Four degrees is a bigger stretch in Florida than it is in most of the country, which is why the tips below matter more here. A smart or programmable thermostat does most of the work by holding the higher setting while you are out and pulling the house back down before you get home.
Tips to Cool off Your Home without Touching the Thermostat
While 78 degrees is the recommended temperature for your home, we understand that this can feel a little bit hot, especially if you are used to keeping your thermostat around 75 degrees. Luckily, there are ways to cool off your home without touching the thermostat:
- Keep your blinds closed. This will prevent heat from creeping in through your windows.
- Make sure your ceiling fans are rotating counter-clockwise. This will ensure that the cool air is being directed downward towards your floor. The Department of Energy says a ceiling fan lets you raise the thermostat about 4 degrees with no loss of comfort, which is most of the distance between 74 and 78.
- Keep unused rooms closed off. If your family is not using the room, there is no need to keep it cool. Make sure to close the vents in this room and close the doors.
- Deal with the humidity, not only the temperature. Damp air feels warmer than it is, so a house at 78 degrees and 50 percent humidity is more comfortable than the same house at 78 degrees and 65 percent. A whole home dehumidifier lets many Florida households live at a higher setting without noticing.
There are more of these, and we collected them in keeping your home cooler without touching the thermostat.
How to Preserve Your AC Unit during the Hot Summer Months
- Regularly maintain your AC unit. In order for your AC unit to run its best, regular maintenance should be scheduled at least once per year. This maintenance is meant to run a check on your unit’s filters, fins, and coils. It’s also the time to replace any worn parts that may otherwise be causing your unit to be overworked. Between visits, the one job that is yours is the filter, and changing your air conditioner filter is the cheapest thing you can do for airflow. Our list of signs your AC needs a tune up covers what to watch for in the meantime, and if the symptoms have already started, our rundown of common air conditioner problems tells you which ones need AC repair rather than a filter.
- Refrain from constantly adjusting the thermostat. Every time you change the temperature, your unit uses extra energy which will wear it down faster. Also, the hotter it is outside, the harder your unit has to work to reach your ideal temperature.
- Turn the AC off when you don’t need it. When you and your family are spending time away from home, you can save quite a bit on your electric bill and preserve your unit simply by turning the AC unit off or by bumping it up a few degrees before you leave.
A system that is skipped for years does not usually announce it with a breakdown. It announces it with a slowly rising bill, longer run times, and a house that never quite gets to the setting. That is also how a coil ends up freezing and dripping, which is one of the ways an air conditioner causes water damage in a Florida home.
When the repairs start stacking up, the warning signs it is time to replace the AC unit are worth reading before the next hot week. A properly sized AC installation will hold 78 degrees far more easily than an oversized system that short cycles, and we offer financing on system replacement when the timing is bad. If the quotes you are comparing are full of terms you have not seen before, our air conditioning glossary translates them.
Call us today to schedule your annual air conditioning unit checkup!
Our company has been in the industry since 2009. Our experts can maintain your air conditioning unit and ensure that it is running smoothly throughout the hottest months of the year. Annual maintenance checkups will allow us to catch any worn or broken parts and fix them before you are left with an unusable unit.
We proudly offer our services to properties in Lakeland, Plant City, Winter Haven, and nearby areas in central Florida. If you’re looking to schedule AC maintenance for your home or business, give us a call today at (863) 667-6364 to set up an appointment.
