5 Ways to Lower Your Air Conditioning Costs This Summer (Utah)

Whether you live in Salt Lake City, Park City, Utah Country or Davis County, summer temperatures in Utah can get over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it’s nice to head to Draper to cool down at Cowabunga Bay or work on your tan in the backyard, it’s too hot to try to sleep or work in such temperatures. Thankfully, most homes have air conditioning to lower the indoor temperatures, but the electricity costs during the hot summer months could be significantly higher because of the energy it takes to cool your house.

Here are 5 ways to lower your utility bill and save on air conditioning costs this summer: 

1. Fix Air Leaks 

An average home loses up to 30% of its cooling energy through air leaks. If you have an air leak somewhere in your house, your valuable cold air is leaving your home and being replaced with hot, outdoor air, all without you even noticing it. By weather stripping your windows, you can make sure that poorly sealed windows aren’t making your air conditioning system work harder than it needs to. Bronze weatherstripping is a little more expensive, but they can last for decades! If you don’t want to make that investment, but still want a step up from the plastic self-adhesive weatherstripping, the rubber option is a good alternative as well. 

Besides weatherstripping, another way to fix any air leaks in your Utah home is to caulk the windows and doors. Caulk where its frame meets the exterior siding.

If you have a window air conditioner, it’s even more important to make sure that it is sealed correctly. Besides losing cold air through the leak, you also risk having a leaking air conditioning unit, which could create mold and other issues. 

If you have a worn window, invest in new, low-E windows, preferably with insulated glass. Even though this could be about $600 per window, it will save you a lot of money on your utility bill both in the summer AND in the winter! Click here’s for a great guide to choosing the right window replacement for your home. 

Besides windows, other sources of warm air seeping into your home are leaks in attics, walls and crawl spaces. Especially if you own an older home in the greater Salt Lake City area, you might want to consider professionally insulating your home. 

2. Use Ceiling Fans 

One easy way to make your house more comfortable without blasting the AC is using a ceiling fan. You can pick one up from your local Salt Lake hardware store. These circulate cool air, lessening the burden of your air conditioning system. However, leaving a ceiling fan on in a room nobody is in isn’t helpful, they are only useful when they move air over skin. They cool your body by aiding evaporative cooling and by aiding convective cooling. 

If you want to install a ceiling fan, or replace your old one, it’s important to look at the energy efficacy rating of the fan. This measures how much airflow you will get for the amount of electrical energy you put in. According to Energy VanGuard, “A good fan will give you more than 100 cfm per watt;  a poor one might be as low as 30 cfm per watt.” They also mention that fans with the longest blades have the highest efficacies and that lower speeds are the most efficient. 

It is worth noting that running a ceiling fan will only save you on your utility bill if you actually increase the temperature in the house. If you leave the AC set at the same temperature as you would have without a ceiling fan, you’re only adding the electricity cost of the ceiling fan to your bill.

3. Clean and Maintain AC System 

Before discussing the proper care and maintenance for your central air system, it’s essential to know what AC and thermostat your house currently has. If you have an older AC, it may be worth investing in an energy-efficient air conditioner. 

One of the main ways to maintain your AC system is by replacing the filters. Dirty filters block airflow and make your unit work harder to cool your home. Imagine having to blast all that cool air through a layer of dust and dirt! Not only does this affect the quality of your indoor air, but it also affects your utility bill. Cleaning and/or replacing filters once per month will lower an air conditioner’s energy consumption by 5% to 15%! Since most filters aren’t more than a few dollars each, this is an easy money-saver! 

Besides replacing the filters every month, your house also needs a more thorough air vent cleaning once every 3-5 years. Debris, foreign objects, dust, and dirt can block the air ducts and restrict the airflow all while contaminating your indoor air. If you are curious to see if your air ducts need to be professionally cleaned, do this easy self-check to find out, or click here to contact Crystal Clean Vents for a free inspection. 

If you have floor registers, make sure that they aren’t blocked with dust or furniture. A quick look outside your home will tell you if your air conditioner unit’s evaporator and condenser coils are covered by dirt or debris. If leaves, branches, overgrown bushes or other items are covering the evaporator, you are blocking the system from working properly. 

4. Block the Sun 

This might come as a real surprise, but all that heat your system is trying to fight comes from… the sun. This obvious fact may give you an important clue about how to reduce the intensity at which your AC has to work. Closing the curtains when you leave the house will make a dramatic impact on the amount of heat coming into your home. John Krigger, founder and president of Saturn Resource Management says that “most heat that accumulates inside a house comes directly from the sun shining onto the roof or through windows, and heating the house directly.” He also offers a solution to reduce the sun’s hot rays falling on your roof and through your windows: planting trees. “Even for the cost of going to the nursery and buying a 15 to 20-foot-tall tree, trees are still the best value,” Krigger says. Looks like it’s time to head to your local Salt Lake City nursery!

5. Adjust the Temperature 

Your body will acclimate to a new temperature over time. This means that if you consistently have your air conditioner set as cool as 73 degrees, any higher temperature will feel uncomfortable. Try raising the temperature in your home by one or two degrees every week, until your body is adjusted to a thermostat setting of 78 degrees. Perhaps this means that you have to change into cooler clothing when you are home because although your suit or jeans may be okay in an office that’s typically set to cooler temperatures, it won’t work as well in a 78-degree home. 

As a Utah homeowner, when you are gone for more than 8 hours, make sure to adjust the temperature to at least 80 or 81 degrees. “Setting your AC as high as is comfortably possible and using a programmable thermostat to increase the temperature when you’re out, or asleep, could easily decrease your summer cooling bill by 10%,” says Christina Kielich, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Energy. A programmable thermostat will allow you to set timers, or even increase the temperature remotely when you’re about to drive home, so you arrive at a cool house. 

Utah summers are to be enjoyed, not dreaded because of higher monthly bills. With these 5 tips, you will be able to stay cool inside while still having some extra money to spend on all those fun summer activities in the beautiful places that Utah is famous for. Pretty cool, right? ;-)