Your air conditioning system, often referred to as your Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system gets a pretty good work-out in our Central Florida Climate. As a result, HVAC energy use accounts for more than 40% of your energy bill. An efficiently running system can save energy and money.

By making simple adjustments to your system, and by adopting a few easy habits, you can help reduce the strain on the HVAC system, reduce energy consumption and reduce wasted money!

Set your thermostat to 76 degrees during the summer months. Ceiling fans can make you feel 4 degrees cooler than the ambient air, but only run them if you are at home.

Only run exhaust fans for 15 minutes after a shower, or after exhausting kitchen steam. Exhaust fans send cooled air into the attic.

Speaking of the attic, a check the duct work and insulation can reveal leaks and other inefficiencies. Leaking ducts can be a huge waste of cooled air. Incentives are available to get the duct work checked and repaired, and for upgrading to a more efficient insulation type.

By keeping the blinds drawn on the east and west windows, you can keep solar heat from building-up inside.

Perhaps the best investment you can make is a programmable thermostat. These affordable and easy-to-install devices will control temperatures in the home based on your occupancy. Make sure to look for the EnergyStar® label when purchasing a device.

See the links below for incentives and more information..

EnergyStar®  - http://www.energystar.gov/

UF IFAS Energy Efficient Homes: Air Condidioning - http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY1026