With temperatures in the summertime increasing and the daylight hours getting longer, you can expect to use your air conditioner more often. If you want to conserve some of the energy that is being used and possibly even save some money this summer, keep reading to learn a few air conditioning tips.

Clean the Filter

The air filter captures most of the dust, dirt, dander, and other debris that is moving throughout the air conditioning system. The system must work considerably harder in order to push air through a dirty or clogged air filter, which thereby leads to more wear and tear on the system and far less energy efficiency overall.

Routine maintenance on the system should consist of regular filter cleaning, ideally once per month, especially throughout the course of the summer. If you have a replaceable filter, it should be replaced with a new filter. If you have a permanent filter, it should be cleaned with your vacuum cleaner's hose attachment.

Turn Up the Thermostat

A programmable thermostat will make it a lot easier to reduce the amount of energy that is consumed. Your first step will be to set your thermostat to the highest temperature at which you and the rest of your family are able to still remain comfortable inside the home. You should also program several different temperatures for various times of the day.

For instance, you do not need to cool an empty home. With that being said, you should turn up the temperature setting for times when no one is home. At night, you should also keep the temperatures higher and turn on the ceiling fans to circulate the air. Alternatively, you could opt to turn off the unit at night and open up the windows to let the cooler night air in.

Avoid Placing Large Appliances Close to the Thermostat

It is important that you do not place any large appliances like washing machines or dryers, floor lamps, or electronics near your thermostat. Due to the fact that the thermostat is able to sense the temperature of its surrounding, it is possible for the heat from these sources to be misinterpreted by the thermostat as the temperature of the whole house. The air conditioning system must work that much harder in order to bring the temperature lower, which can result in an increased energy consumption.

For more information on how to reduce your energy bill this summer, contact an air conditioning service in your area.