NEED AN OIL
OR PROPANE DELIVERY?
Get in touch with us right away. We'll get you filled up within a week!

5 Summer Home Energy Efficiency Tips

Keep Your Home Cool And Comfortable–At Less Expense!

home energy tips maine

If you have air conditioning in your home, you know it can’t be beat for cool comfort when summer heat waves come into town.

You also want to be sure you can enjoy all that coolness without any unsightly energy bills to coincide with it. We have some tips that’ll let you keep your Southeast Maine home comfortable all season long without racking up the energy costs.

Maximize Your A/C Efficiency

If the temperature is going to be cool after sunset, turn off your A/C and open the windows to naturally cool the temperature of your home during that time. Conversely, make sure to close your blinds and curtains during the day to prevent the sunlight from excessively heating up the home and forcing the air conditioning to work harder to keep it cool.

Be sure to also set your programmable thermostat to higher temperatures while you’re away from the residence. Speaking of thermostats, lights and electronics generate heat and make the thermostat believe the house is warmer than is—causing the AC to kick on when it’s not necessarily needed. Be sure to place them away from the thermostat itself.

Take care of your air conditioning system’s overall health by changing filters regularly, vacuuming registers to get rid of dust, having ductwork cleaned and getting your regular, annual tune-ups.

Upgrade To Propane Appliances

Water heating makes up about 20% of your home’s energy costs. Installing a propane tankless water heater can cut those costs by nearly 30% or more compared with an electric tank storage water heater.

Propane clothes dryers get your laundry dry 25% faster than comparable electric models, lowering your energy costs as well. And since propane clothes dryers produce fewer wrinkles on your laundry, you won’t have to use your iron as much, saving you even more energy collectively.

Give Your Kitchen A Vacation

Did you know that cooking—especially if your oven is involved—can raise the temperature in your home as much as 5˚ Fahrenheit? That can cause the air conditioning to run more frequently—and for longer—further driving up your energy costs.

You can prevent a lot of that temperature increase without resorting to delivery for every meal. Use your stove later in the evening or early in the morning to prep. Make meals using small appliances, like your slow cooker, multicooker (such as an Instant Pot), toaster oven and/or microwave.

Use your grill not only for dinner but for everything from breakfast to baking, too!

Swap Out Your Light Bulbs

Only between 10% and 15% of the energy an incandescent light uses goes towards actual light. The rest is comprised of heat, which can—even if only marginally—raise the temperature in your home. Replacing them with LED or halogen incandescent dramatically reduces that heat and wasted energy.

Reverse Your Ceiling Fans

Moving air feels cooler when you’re in the room, so turn on those ceiling fans when people are around in the summer—you’ll be able to keep temperatures a little warmer with no loss in comfort.

PitStop Fuels provides reliable propane delivery and home comfort services across Southern Maine. Become a customer today and experience the difference we can make for your residence!