春夏节能小贴士

• 当你离开房间几个小时时，关掉空调. You will use less energy cooling the room later than if you leave it running.
• Trim bushes or plants near the outdoor air conditioning unit so air can circulate.
• Make sure the clothes dryer vent does not blow on the outdoor air conditioning unit.
• 当空调运行时，请关闭防风窗.
• Locate room air conditioners on a north wall or a side of the building that's shaded.
• 如果你用的是窗式空调，也要用风扇. 它将冷却空气传播，而不会大大增加你的电力使用.
• 考虑更换旧的, inefficient air conditioning equipment with a high-efficiency heat pump or air conditioning unit. Heat pumps cool during the summer and provide heat during the fall and winter.
• Before buying an air conditioning unit or system, find out its Energy Efficiency Ratio. Divide the cooling capacity (measured in Btu's per hour) by its energy requirement (in watts). EER达到或超过10是非常好的，8或9是好的，6或7是一般的. 为了最大限度的节省, look for an air conditioner with the highest EER and the smallest capacity that will meet your needs.

Maintenance

• 定期维护将保持您的冷却系统有效运行.
• Make sure ducts in your air conditioning system are properly sealed and insulated, 尤其是那些穿过阁楼或其他非制冷空间的.
• Clean or replace your air-conditioning filter each month during the cooling season.
• Sign up for Service Guard 我们的家电维修和保养服务.

• Set the air conditioner thermostat at 75 degrees Fahrenheit or higher — 78 degrees is more economical.
• Use a programmable thermostat that can automatically raise the thermostat setting at least five degrees when no one is home; 85 degrees is ideal.
• To adjust the thermostat manually, lower the setting a few degrees at a time rather than all at once. It's more economical — and comfortable — to raise the thermostat setting rather than turn off the air conditioner.
• Setting your thermostat colder than normal when you turn on the A/C will not cool your home faster. 它会冷却到比你需要的更低的温度，并使用更多的能量.
• 你也可以通过安装空调来节省金钱和澳门威尼斯人 demand controller （仅适用于南达科他州）.

• 在一天中最热的时候，关上百叶窗、遮阳帘和窗帘. 在一天中最热的时候关上窗户.
• Dim your lights. 标准的白炽灯泡会产生热量，所以要把灯调暗.
• 在清晨或傍晚做饭.
• 尽可能使用冷水.
• 通过关闭通风口和关门来关闭无人居住的房间.
• Lowering your water heater temperature a few degrees can save on energy usage.
• Move furniture away from the air registers, allowing for the free flow of cooled air.

如果你住在湿度低的地区，沼泽冷却器是一个选择. 也叫蒸发冷却, these systems operate by passing warm outdoor air over water-saturated pads. 然后衬垫里的水就蒸发了, reducing air temperature by 15 to 40 degrees before directing it into your home.

You can control temperature and humidity by opening windows only in the rooms you want to cool. 与中央空调不同, 哪个在整个房子里循环冷却空气, 沼泽冷却器吸收源源不断的新鲜空气.

Swamp coolers cost about half as much to install as air conditioners and use about one-fourth the energy. They do require more maintenance, however, and are not suitable for humid areas.

(U.S. 澳门威尼斯人署)

Like central air conditioning and split-duct air cooling systems – both of which are significant purchases – window air conditioners use refrigerant to cool the air in a room.
 

Window A/C units are highly effective at cooling small spaces and are relatively inexpensive to operate. 在潮湿地区，它们也是比沼泽冷却器更好的选择.
 

(www.Forbes.com)

Whole house fans pull air in from open windows and send it out through the attic and roof. 它们是为日落后使用而设计的, when they can draw in cooler night air to replace the warm air in your home. Whole house fans were the cooling method of choice before central air conditioning became more widespread and affordable.

阁楼风扇是用来清除阁楼上过热的空气的. They can be used in conjunction with air conditioners to reduce the workload on your A/C unit.

(www.washingtonpost.com)

窗扇的工作原理是将室内的热空气吹走. 为你的家降温, place outward-facing fans on the warmer side of your house and tightly close nearby windows, 然后打开房子另一边的窗户. Inward-facing fans can be used in windows on the shaded side of your home to draw in the cooler air.

窗扇耗能少. 它们在晚上使用时最有效, 或者当外面的空气比里面的冷时.

(www.consumerreports.org, U.S. 澳门威尼斯人署)

By neglecting filter changes, you could be severely decreasing your home’s energy efficiency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends changing filters every few months but you might consider more frequent changes for optimum efficiency. 把它与你的房租或抵押贷款安排在一起，让它很容易记住. Choose filters 用2到4英寸的纤维 而不是1英寸的图层.

如果你和你的家人白天不在家, 让你的体温升高几度是可以的 -但是太多的热量会让你的系统同时为你的家降温. 最好保持在5度的范围内. 如果你在家的时候把温度调到78度, 离开时将其调整到不高于82或83度.

让你的空调保持最佳状态需要一年的努力. Get an annual A/C inspection to make sure your appliance is running efficiently.

According to energy.gov, if your A/C unit is older than 10 years old, you should consider replacing it. 虽然空调在正常环境下可以使用长达20年, 10年后，它的效率会下降40%左右. The newer technology can also save you up to 20% on cooling costs when upgrading.