Staying cool is essential during the hot summer months, especially if you live in the southwestern United States. In these hot, dry regions, cooling your home accounts for half of your energy bill or more. If you’re looking to cut your energy expenses, there are ways to do it without having to turn up the temperature in your own home. Check out these tips to control your home energy usage!

Install and Use Your Ceiling Fans

A residential air conditioning unit uses an average of 3,500 watts of energy when it’s running, while a ceiling fan uses just 60 watts, even when running on high, according to The Simple Dollar. Even if you run your fan all day, it will only be a fraction of the energy that a typical air conditioner consumes. However, many households don’t run their fans as efficiently as they could. The fan should run with the air blowing down in the summer, which creates a cool, breeze-like effect. Often, fans have a switch that allows you to switch the direction the air flows based on the different seasons.

Fans only work to promote air flow – they don’t actually cool the air itself. However, when you are in the room, you can typically turn your air up by four degrees because that’s how much a ceiling fan will cool the room, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Switch to a Programmable Thermostat

If you are able to turn down your thermostat up by one degree in the summer, you will cut your energy costs by at least one percent. However, it’s hard to remember on a regular basis to do this when you’re typically out during the day. The solution is a programmable thermostat, which you can program in advance to turn your thermostat up in the summer months, and down in the winter months. The average savings is usually around $145 a year if you take advantage of the programming function, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Install UV-Blocking Window Screens

Radiant heat from the sun’s rays can penetrate the windows and increase the temperature inside your home. Your air-conditioning system must then compensate for the added temperature, which equals higher costs. Security Screen Masters can install screens that reduce the amount of solar heat and ultraviolet (UV) rays by 66 percent. Not only do UV-blocking window screens save you money on energy costs, they also keep out bugs and burglars.

For more information on how you can save money on your home energy costs, call Security Screen Masters at their Tucson, Phoenix, or Las Vegas locations. For more information, click on the “Contact Us” section.