We can appreciate returning to a cool, air conditioned home after a long day spent in Toronto. When the sun beats down on the city, and we’re struggling to breathe through its notorious smog, there’s nothing better than to escape the heat. Many of us don’t think twice about lowering the temperatures inside our homes as the outside ones sizzles – that is, until we get our first hydro bill. Then our air conditioned havens can feel like a guilty pleasure.

Depending on the size and efficiency of your machine, as well as how long you let it run, your A/C could be costing you up to an additional $130 each month. That might be a luxury you simply cannot afford, but should you have to sacrifice your comfort during the summer in order to come in under budget? We don’t think so. While there will be record-breaking days when you’ll need to turn on your A/C, there will be days when you can try out alternative methods of cooling down. There are plenty of wallet-saving ways to beat the heat without relying on your A/C , and we’d like to share them with you today. When you temper your dependence on your air conditioner with our advice, you won’t have to worry about how you’ll keep cool.

1. Call our technicians
A fully serviced air conditioner is an efficient appliance, and an efficient appliance ends up saving you money on your energy bills. Schedule one of our air conditioner repair technicians to inspect and service your appliance. Their quick, competent, and economical visit will make sure your A/C is in fighting shape for when you do have to turn it on.

2. Use your Windows Strategically
There’s some debate about how you should be using your windows during the summer. Some individuals are adamant that they should stay closed in order to keep the hot air and allergens out. Others claim keeping them wide open to encourage air circulation is better despite the heat. We see the advantages to both techniques, especially when you use them together. Late at night and in the mornings, when the air is at its coolest and pollen is at its lowest, you should have windows open. This will move cooler air through the house, but be sure to close your windows to lock in the chilled morning air before noon, when the sun starts heating the air outside.

3. Invest in fans
It may be old-fashioned, but sometimes dated techniques are long-standing methods that work. Several strategically placed fans can circulate the air in your stuffy home and cool it down. When used in tandem with our window method, you can draw in the cooler night air and disperse it through your home. If you have any ceiling fans installed in your home, be sure to set them to rotate counter-clockwise.

4. Avoid direct sun
Recall your grade school science lessons, and you’ll remember that glass can intensify the sun’s heat. In what’s called the greenhouse effect, the summer sun passing through your windows will increase the temperature of your home. Install blackout blinds to any room that gets direct sunlight for most of the day to avoid this phenomenon.

5. Embrace the grill
If your house is already doing a fine job of matching the outside heat, it doesn’t need any help raising the temperature. So don’t add to the warmth by cooking with your stove or oven. If you have one, use a barbeque as much as possible. If you don’t, spend an afternoon or weekend looking up simple and fresh recipes that don’t rely on heat to make a great meal. We’re fans of using a slow cooker when we don’t want to use the oven.

All of these tips are simple, straight-forward tweaks to your daily routine that have the ability to greatly affect the temperature of your home. Don’t suffer through another hot summer just because your comfort levels are at war with your wallet. Give us a call and start introducing these tips and beat the heat without relying solely on your A/C.