Did you know that we Americans use as much electricity on air conditioners as the continent of Africa uses for electricity on everything? Our national population is just over 4% of the world’s total and yet we use more energy powering our cooling systems than the rest of the world uses on the same devices combined. It isn’t surprising that even we here in South Carolina’s Lakelands are being forced to take measures to lower our carbon emissions and become more efficient with our methods of avoiding the heat.
Take a look at the top 4 ways you can help the environment (and your wallet!) with your machine:
1. Shut your doors and windows! – New York City passed a law two years ago that made it illegal for nearly all shops and restaurants to keep their entrances and windows open whilst AC units pump out cool air during the hot months. Many other cities and states have, subsequently, copied or are thinking of copying the law in their local district and understanding why is easy. The appliances have a thermometer and a temperature gage which means that it will keep working until the whole room is the required temperature. If there is air from outside seeping into the room, this means your standard wholesale air conditioner must work harder because so much of its cool air is escaping into the outdoors and this means it takes longer to cool the room, which raises pollution as well as the cost of electricity bills.
2. Turn it off or raise the temperature when you can! – Particularly during spring or fall – outside the summer months – if the temperature in your home is under than 80°F, most people shouldn’t feel the need to turn on their AC. It is annoying to keep messing with your temperature settings but paying crazy prices for household costs and increasing global warming is worse than the mild annoyance so it’s worth considering.
3. Be open to maintenance, repair or even an upgrade! –Many air conditioners across our nation have tiny parts that can become faulty real easily and/or use outdated technology. Both can mean the device uses more power in order to cool your home so you may need to just get new parts or maybe get an AC replacement. If you’re not an expert with electrical appliances, why not hire someone who is to give you this insight? Though call-outs for air conditioner specialists aren’t usually cheap, your bills could be significantly lowered with their advice and help.
4. Get outdoors! – Lakelands residents are lucky enough to have some amazing locations right on our doorstep. Whether it’s the Music Farm or Koger Centresometimes getting out can be just the tonic for cooling down.