Use fans not AC. Change your light bulbs to LED. Don't use a lot of lights and use candles or flashlights. If you use your computer you don't need your lights on. Unplug clocks and use battery operated devices. Use shades that keep the light out. if you live in a condo and pay to heat water for a shower or to wash dishes turn the hot water switch to off when done. Never keep the hot water switch going when not using water. You can get a varuety of battery operated lamps at Dollar Tree,
A hot weather tip from rural Australia... Place dark, thick blankets or sheets over those bright windows on a hot day. Why? It keeps out alot of the heat. It won't cool your house like AC but you will notice the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures. Oh, keep those lights off too because that will create unnecessary heat indoors
It all balances out - if you are working from home, you buy less clothes, and have less transportation cost. Better to turn the temp up and get a small fan to circulate all the air in the room - then you don't have to wear that noisy contraption. You can probably find a used fan on Marketplace. I am in Mass. - hot and sticky this summer and I work at home 4 days a week. My electric went up $20 this month. My goal is to keep my gas and electric under $100/month and I do it by setting my Ecobee at 74 and using a small Honeywell fan from Target. Quiet and just enough to dry the air and circulate it.
I keep turning my a/c temp on the thermostat up so it clicks off. When I get too hot, I turn it back down and do that several times a day. I have a fan right next to me on the floor blowing right on me. I have a fan right next to my bed. I have an overhead fan in my living room. I try to wash in off-peak hours, and have a water saver on my shower head. I turn the hot water down when I take a shower. With all that, yes, my bill went up about $60 dollars in this hot weather. I'm in Florida, and it's been in the mid 90's with high humidity. In the winter if it's cold, I do the opposite with my thermostat. Anything to keep the unit from constantly kicking on, which draws a lot of power. I also use commercial cool cloths around my forehead, wet. They work really well at keeping the body cooler.
I understand your angst but being comfortable is worth $24 especially if you work from home. I hang emergency blankets from my curtains. They reflect the light to the outside and keep my place at least 30° cooler. I do run my air conditioner and will continue to do so because it's worth it to be comfortable.@@PinchAPennyWithJenny
@@cookshackcuisinistaOh I’ve never heard about hanging emergency blankets! Thanks. I still turn on the AC, I just want to reduce the amount of time I have it running. 😂
