Experts give tips on ways to stay cool and manage your energy bill this summer

(WFRV) – As the warmth and humidity continues, Wisconsin Public Service is reminding customers that there are ways to stay cool and manage their energy bills.

Things like keeping your blinds in your home closed to stop sunlight from getting in, switching your furnace fan to auto and keeping the heat down from cooking will help.

There’s also a unique way to help costs that many may not think of.

“One tip that customers may not be aware of is to check the setting on the home’s thermostat and actually increase it a few degrees during the day time hours,” Matt Cullen of WEC Energy Group tells WFRV Local 5. “Recommended thermostat setting during the summer months is 78 degrees – still keeps your home comfortable but avoids your air conditioner and air conditioning unit run more frequently.”

Cullen adds that doing an annual inspection of your air conditioner to ensure it’s running safely and efficiently can also help manage your energy bills.

Other tips include:

• Shut out the sun: Keep blinds, drapes and curtains closed to stop sunlight from warming up your home.
• Thermostat tune-up: Setting a thermostat a few degrees higher will reduce energy use while at home. When asleep, adjust it 7 to 10 degrees higher to increase a home’s energy efficiency even more.
• Set the fan switch to “auto”: A thermostat fan switch on “auto” causes the fan to run only when the cooling system does. Setting the fan to “on” causes it to run all the time.
• Turn down the heat: Delay heat-producing activities such as cooking, clothes drying, and ironing until the evening when temperatures are cooler. 
• Feel cool with fans: Standalone and ceiling fans can help circulate air, making a room feel cooler. Ceiling fans have a switch that allows them to rotate counterclockwise, pushing down air to make you feel cooler.
• Lock down leaks: Stop cool air from escaping outdoors by sealing cracks and gaps around windows, doors, and siding with caulk and weather stripping.
• Install a programmable thermostat: Programmable and smart thermostats can automatically adjust air conditioning for when you are home, away or asleep to help you use energy efficiently.
• Cooling checkup: An annual inspection and tune-up of an air conditioner helps it run safely and efficiently. It also can help you stay ahead of future issues.

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