Sushi Money

How much do you use air conditioning during the summer?  If you’re like most of us, that’s pretty strange question.  “Of course I use a/c during the summer?!  What do you think I am, nuts?”   And it’s true, having the a/c turned on is a simple fact of life for most of us, especially in the humid eastern and midwest parts of the nation.  On a recent trip to the arid west however, I found that nearly 100 degrees felt almost cooler than 90 degrees in a more humid region.  Yet even there, using air conditioning was something most people were accustomed to.

But using a/c everyday is still a luxury for much of the world, and especially for many of our older readers.  For those who work outside or live in the country, getting used to a little summer heat is not a big deal.  It’s one way to save money on electricity at home (besides yelling at the kids to turn out the lights!).

But with higher oil prices many people are cutting back on expenses and energy usage has taken on new meaning.   The Wall Street Journal has written about Pulling the Plug and Creative Energy Conservation this summer while describing various efforts people are making to save money while turning off, or reducing their air conditioning.

“Because many power plants run on natural gas, which has shot way up in price, utilities in every region of the nation have imposed — or are planning — big rate increases this year, some approaching 30%.”

“In response, nearly two-thirds of families are cutting back on air conditioning, according to a recent Associated Press-Yahoo News poll. They’re buying ceiling fans and programmable thermostats; burning up hot afternoons in malls and movie theaters; and bombarding blogger Erin Huffstetler, who writes about frugal living, with questions about the merits of tinting their windows dark to block the sun.”

Cutting back on a/c use can save a lot of money, but how do we define “cutting back?”  For some people, setting the indoor thermostat at 82 degreess is pretty warm, and I’ll agree with that especially when it’s humid.  For others however, it’s a “sacrifice” to set the thermostat at 74 degrees instead of 72.   Now I find that strange because 74 degrees is pretty darn cool, even for sleeping at night.  And 72 degrees?  Brrrr!   That would be like throwing money down the drain for me.

Realistically, a lot of us are just not used to the heat as we were in the past.  I grew up with a/c in the house, but not in the car.  I drove my first car for 100,000 miles around the midwest without a/c.  Of course I didn’t know any better… would I do it today?  Not a chance.  But I have a relative who keeps her house thermostat around 82, and it feels pretty warm inside.  Is anything wrong with that?  Not a thing.  More power to her, and what’s wrong with a little sweat?  The savings at 80+ degrees are significant when not using the air conditioner.  She keeps a few doors and windows open for the breeze, and enjoys saving money. 

But make sure that what you are doing is actually saving money.  In the WSJ article’s example, one woman thought she was saving money by only using window air conditioners and keeping it warmer inside.  Turns out she was using more energy than the previous year because her air conditioners were so inefficient. 

Of course if you have nowhere else to go it can become somewhat overpowering to keep the house so warm.  Many folks have a basement below their home and can find a shelter at temperatures close to 70 degrees. Of course many people also enjoy their employer’s air conditioning while at work, and return home to warmer temperatures.

 But there are ways to save a lot more money.

“Replacing a standard air conditioner set at 72 degrees with an energy-efficient model set at 78 can cut your cooling costs in half, though savings vary by climate, according to Xcel Energy Inc., a regional utility based in Minneapolis. A programmable thermostat can save as much as 12%. A ceiling fan can lower a room’s temperature by several degrees. Even something as simple as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs can make a big difference in electricity bills.”

I can vouch for using compact fluorescent bulbs.  We’ve cut almost $10 off our monthly electricity bill by fitting the entire house with them.  And a thermostat?  Absolutely essential.  That has been the single greatest energy saving device we own.  I’ve written before of seeing neighbors using an old fashioned dial thermostat, and manually changing the temperatures each day.  The problem was they weren’t around most of the time and their a/c or furnace just ran and ran while they were gone.   What a waste of money!   A good programmable thermostat can automatically regulate your home environment, and save a bundle of money over time.

And yes, the biggest thing we can do to save money is simply to not use as much energy, or air conditioning.  What else do we do?  Not much yet.  I’d love to find out more ways to cut back on energy usage.  Between the dishwasher, dryer, air conditioner and other electric systems, I’d say we have a lot of room for improvement.  What do you do to save money? 

We’re off to a slow start this summer:  I paid a gent over $200 to fix our air conditioner yesterday. Ugh. We’re in the hole before even using the darn thing! The cost of freon on an older a/c unit is getting very expensive.  Tried to get by without the a/c the last few weeks, but decided to fix the system instead.  Do we use it all the time?  No. But it sure is nice to have when needed.

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