As a Florida homeowner, you already know a significant portion of your energy usage goes towards powering your air conditioning system. But you shouldn’t have to worry every time you open your energy bill that the number before you will be astronomical — and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice home comfort just to save a few bucks.

Luckily, by employing a few simple energy-saving tips and tricks, you can ensure your air conditioning system is functioning as efficiently as possible, while keeping your home as comfortable as ever. Here are the Grand Air Services team’s top 10 tips:

These small efforts offer a wide range of energy-saving benefits for your home. While some may seem common sense, we’ve included some additional creative tips you may have never thought of.

1. Make sure the air vents are open
Cool air created by your air conditioning system is dispersed through the air vents. But if the air vents aren’t open all the way, air won’t be able to properly flow. As a result, you may notice your home isn’t as comfortable as you’d like it to be, and your energy bills are higher thanks to your system using more energy.

2. Make sure the air vents are clean
Speaking of air vents, this goes hand-in-hand with our first tip. If there is too much build-up of dust and other debris, air won’t be able to properly flow. Get in the habit of routinely checking the air vents for build-up and cleaning them if necessary.

3. Replace air conditioning filters every month
When the air filters within your home are bogged down with dust and debris, your air conditioning system has to work harder to cool your home. By simply changing the air filters each month, you will ensure your air conditioning system is operating at peak efficiency and using the least amount of energy as possible.

4. Use your ceiling fans
Many homeowners forget to use their ceiling fans since their air conditioning systems are always working. But when used in conjunction with your air conditioning system, ceiling fans can help circulate air throughout the rooms of your home. As a result, you won’t need as much air conditioning to be pushed into the rooms. In fact, studies show that ceiling fans can help reduce the temperature in your home by five degrees or more.

5. Use energy efficient light bulbs
Not all light bulbs are created equal and some put off more heat than others. Incandescent light bulbs (100 watts) for example have been rated as some of the most inefficient light bulbs out there producing just two watts of light and 98 watts of heat! Check out the light bulbs in your home and see if any put out excess heat.

6. Invest in appliances with the Energy Star label
Investing in appliances with the Energy Star labels is the best way to ensure your appliances are the most efficient. The Energy Star label is essentially the government’s symbol of energy efficiency and products with this label have been shown to save up to 30 percent on related electricity costs.

7. Arrange your furniture to be more efficient
This is a tip many homeowners aren’t aware of, but how you arrange your furniture can actually affect the efficiency of your air conditioning system. Take a look at the current layout of your furniture and see if anything is obstructing the flow of air through the air vents. If so, it may be harder for your air conditioning system to cool the room to the desired temperature.

8. Invest in quality blinds, curtains, and drapes
Blinds, curtains, and drapes can have a bigger effect on your home’s comfort than you may realize. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates you can save upwards of 10 percent on your energy bills each year just by closing the blinds during peak sunlight hours! When you add in thick curtains or drapes, you can save even more.

9. Invest in a smart thermostat
If you don’t already have a programmable or smart thermostat for your home, we can’t recommend investing in one enough. The small device is an easy way to program your air conditioning system to adjust to a set temperature at various times throughout the day. Not only does this make it easy to fine-tune your comfort preferences throughout the day to fit your schedule, but you can drastically reduce your energy usage right from the comfort of your smartphone or tablet.

10. Schedule routine AC maintenance with the professionals at Grand Air Services, Inc.
Hands down, the best thing your can do for your air conditioning system, your home’s comfort, and your energy bills is to schedule regular maintenance. When you schedule an appointment, one of our trained technicians will come to your home and perform a comprehensive inspection and tune-up of your air conditioning system. This will ensure everything is working as efficiently as possible. Better yet, this will increase the overall lifespan of your system.