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Anchor intro: Air conditioning is an expensive
way to stay cool, and that's especially true in these days of historically
high energy prices. But there are ways to chill your house without
burning up your bank account. Bankrate.com has some cool tips for
hot months.
Voice-over 1: If you spend about the average
to keep your home cooled, heated and powered up throughout the year,
then you're spending about 1500 bucks. This summer, most of that
expense is going to pay your cooling bill… somewhere between $400
and $500.
Voice-over 2: Want to save some cool cash?
The simplest way is also the cheapest: your filters, both inside
and outside. Make it a habit to change, clean and/or change these
things every month. That alone can reduce your bill by 10 percent.
Voice-over 3: The next place to cut costs are
your windows and doors. Air loss can blow 15 to 25 percent of your
energy budget. And the solution is cheap: weather-stripping and
caulk.
Voice-over 4: A good ceiling fan can also save
you serious money. A fan will allow you to set you set your thermostat
at 78 degrees and make it feel like 72 degrees. Not bad considering
it only costs about 15 cents to run for every 10 hours it's on.
Voice-over 5: The thermostat. Now here's a
place you can really save some cool cash because every time you
raise this thing one degree, you save 3 percent. So especially while
you're away, raise it five degrees and cut your bill by 15 percent.
Voice-over 6: Also, do you close the vents
in rooms that you're not using? Well, don't. Closing more than 10
percent of your vents can create an air pressure imbalance that
will reduce your air conditioner's efficiency. So if you've got
central air, let it flow.
Standup: One more tip for staying cool this
summer: Avoid appliances that create heat in the hottest part of
the day. So when it's hot outside, make some lemonade and lay on
the sofa. For Bankrate.com, I'm Kristin Arnold.
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