Lowering Cooling Costs

Air conditioners use about 65 percent of electricity produced in the United States.  Read below to see some ways to reduce energy use for air conditioning. 

5 sensible ways to save money and still keep cool

Keep cool and save money on air conditioning too. Here are the ten best ways to cut costs and improve your AC system.

By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine

Overview: Costs and savings

Staying cool is expensive. In a hot climate like Texas, the average family spends about $600 a year on cooling. In the Midwest, it’s about $300. But costs vary a lot within regions and even within a single neighborhood. Your home may cost $700 to keep cool while a similar home next door costs half that. This article will help you make your home the low-cost energy leader on the block. Our focus is on cutting cooling costs, but many of these tips will save you money on your heating too. We include upfront costs and payback for each of our tips, but the actual figures depend on your individual house, region, climate, living habits and electric rates.

Tip 1: Replace your old air conditioner

Buy an efficient air conditioner

Paying higher upfront costs for the most efficient unit possible (SEER 14 or higher) makes sense in hot climates since the initial investment will be paid back in energy savings over time. It makes less sense in cooler climates.

Replacing a 10-year-old window or central AC unit with an Energy Star model can cut your cooling costs by 30 to 50 percent and save you enough over the new unit’s lifetime to offset its purchase price. This is especially true if you live in a hot, humid climate. Central AC units are rated for efficiency according to their Seasonal Energy- Efficiency Ratio (SEER). Window units are rated according to their Energy-Efficiency Ratio (EER). The SEER/EER rating is listed on the Energy Guide label (below). The higher the number, the more efficient the unit. If you double your SEER (or EER), you can cut your AC operating costs in half. To find the rating on an older unit, check the data label or plug the model number into the online CEE-ARI database at energystar.gov on the Central Air Conditioners page. New units are required by law to have a SEER of at least 13 and an EER of 8. Central AC units manufactured from 1992 through 2005 have a SEER of about a 10, and older models are at 6 or 7.

COST: Window units range from $250 for 6,000 BTUs to $750 for 24,000 BTUs. Replacing an old central-air system typically costs about $3,000, but it can run as high as $10,000.

PAYBACK: The older your system and the more you use it, the larger your energy savings will be with a new unit. For example, replacing an ancient SEER 7 unit with a SEER 14.5 unit that costs $3,000 will save you about $700 a year and pay for itself in five years. Calculate your payback with the AC savings calculator at energystar.gov.

DIY Success Story

“My neighbor complained for years that my 22-year-old AC unit was too noisy. To keep the peace, I decided to replace it. The old unit turned out to be a SEER 6. The new unit is a SEER 14 and very quiet. My neighbor is now happy and so am I—my summer electric bills are half of what I was spending with the old unit.”
Gene Hamolka

AC Shopping Tips

  • Buy an Energy Star–rated central AC unit with a SEER of 14 or higher (especially if you use your AC a lot).

  • Buy the right-size central AC unit by making sure your contractor performs a thorough cooling load analysis on your home. Too many contractors simply choose a unit that’s the same size as the old one. In many cases, the old one is oversized, so it wastes electricity.

  • Replace the entire unit, not just the outside condenser. If you don’t replace the inside coil and/or blower fan, you won’t get the rated efficiency.

  • Buy a unit with eco-friendly coolant (R41A “Puron”) since R22 (Freon) will be phased out of production in 2010. If you get stuck with an old Freon unit, recharging the system will be very expensive (not to mention environmentally harmful).

  • Use the Energy Star savings calculator at energystar.gov to figure out whether it makes financial sense to replace your AC, and get a list of the most energy-efficient AC units.

  • Check for local, state and federal rebates on higher efficiency units at dsireusa.org.

  • If you live in the Southeastern United States, consider a heat pump, which moves air more efficiently than a conventional AC unit in areas with high humidity. If you live in the Southwest, consider an evaporative “swamp” cooler, which uses 75 percent less energy than conventional AC and costs about half as much to install. For more information, go to energystar.gov.

Online savings calculator

Tip 2: Switch to CFLs

CFL in hanging fixture

Standard incandescent bulbs give off a lot more heat than CFLs.

You already know that compact fluorescent Light bulbs cut lighting costs, but they cut cooling costs too. That’s because, unlike incandescents, they give off very little heat. Ninety percent of the electricity used by an incandescent bulb is converted to heat rather than light. That extra heat means extra cooling expenses.

Online savings calculator COST: $3 per bulb. PAYBACK: Less than a year.

Tip 3: Install a programmable thermostat

Mounting a programmable thermostat

Mounting a programmable thermostat is a simple DIY project. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for programming it.

This is another easy upgrade that pays back quickly. Setting your cooling system four to six degrees warmer when you’re away at work or on vacation and automatically lowering it to 78 degrees when you’re home can cut 5 to 20 percent off your energy bill. This simple DIY project takes less than an hour.

COST: $50 to $150.

PAYBACK: About a year if you use it for both heating and cooling.

Tip 4: Clean or change AC filters monthly

Check your AC/furnace filter

Dirty air filters slow airflow and make the blower fan and cooling system work extra hard.

Dirty air filters are the No. 1 cause of air conditioning breakdowns and they cost about 7 percent more in energy costs (or about $45 a year) in hot climates. Change central AC furnace filters monthly during the summer. Most window units have a removable filter behind the air inlet grille that you can take out and rinse monthly.

Tip 5: Fix leaks in AC ducting

Seal forced air ducts

Use special foil tape to seal joints in cooling and heating ducts.

If your home was built in the past 10 years or so, it probably has well-sealed ductwork. But if you live in an older home, 10 to 40 percent of your cooling dollars is lost through gaps in the duct joints. This cool air is wasted when the ducts run through an attic, crawl space or basement. This can be a tough DIY project to do effectively since it takes a professional to test for leaks before and after the repairs. It you’re game for sealing the ducts yourself, examine your ductwork for cracks, splits or bad connections and feel for escaping air when your system is on. After you seal the leaks, keep the ducts cool by insulating them with R-6 or higher fiberglass duct wrap if they run through a hot attic.

COST: $300 to $1,000 for a professional to test and seal your heating and cooling ducts. DIY duct sealing costs $20 for a 60-yd. roll of aluminum tape and $5 for an 11-oz. tube of sealant.

PAYBACK: Two to four years for professional duct sealing and less than a year for DIY sealing.

Click here to view the orginal article: Lowering Cooling Costs

Ingrid Thompson