Stretching Your Dollar: How to Keep Energy Bill Affordable Amid Sweltering Heat

<div class="block">Rising temperatures means rising energy bills. In this &#39;Stretching Your Dollar&#39; segment, Courtney Klosterman, home insights experts at Hippo Home Insurance Group, talked about how you can cool down your electric bill and how to keep your home cool amid sweltering weather.</div>

Stretching Your Dollar

He grips the nation and energy prices skyrocket. We want to show you a way to cool off your energy bill this summer. So joining me now is Courtney Claman Home in inside expert at Hippo Home Insurance Group, Courtney, what are the best ways to keep your home cool in this extreme heat? Thanks so much for having me, Christian. Well, it is the season for summer heat. Uh I know we're all feeling the effects of summer weather this year and including those of us who are homeowners. The best method to avoid unexpected issues though, especially if you've invested in a home is to be proactive about protecting it. So start with the basics. So think about shutting your blinds by closing your blinds, you can actually lower the temperature of your home. The Department of Energy says that smart management of window coverings in your home can reduce heat gain in your space by 77%. So if you want to block as much sunlight as possible, consider getting some blackout lines or some other window coverings that can help reduce heat coming into the space during the summer months. Also consider thinking about interior doors, uh keeping the air circulation within your home is really important. So, consider keeping the interior doors open and exterior doors closed. I personally love to keep my screen door open in the summer months so that my pet can look at all of the animals outside. But it's important on those really hot days to keep windows and doors shut and maintain as much cool air within the home as possible. You know, one thing that I saw Courtney that I thought was interesting is running a ceiling fan in reverse. How does that help? So if you run your ceiling field, your ceiling fan, uh counterclockwise, it actually brings the air from up above, down to the space below you. So if you can actually do that in the summer months, you'll see more cool air circulation throughout the home. Another thing to think about are having fans in different areas of your house. So that again, the air circulation is moving, there's no static he sitting around. Um If you have a two story home, actually having the doors and rooms upstairs shut so that you're confining the cool air to the spaces that you're operating within, can be another helpful way to just conserve energy and hopefully keep those utility bill bills at bay this summer. Ok. So we know the right things to do. What should people avoid doing in their homes during heat waves? Well, we all think about when we return home of cranking up the AC I'm also just someone who tends to do that. But one of the best ways to keep your systems working efficiently is to avoid creating um a crank up of the AC during the times where you come home. Think about investing in a smart thermostat that can be a great way to maintain and monitor the temperature when you're in and outside the home or just consider moving the temperature up a couple of degrees when you get home, these types of things can avoid overloading your system. The last thing you want to do on hot days is overload your HV AC system and have to call in a professional. The the timelines for repairs during hot days in summer months can be really extraordinary. So thinking ahead being as proactive as possible and monitoring a consistent temperature around the home can help you beat the heat and avoid unexpected repairs within the home. So, extreme heat definitely makes us feel uncomfortable and in certain cases, it can be quite dangerous, but it's also expensive. Right? And so what are some tips to keep your energy bill lower during a summer like this one? Uh, well, one of the most aha moments that I had as a homeowner was looking at my hot water heater and actually turning the temperature down a couple of degrees, your hot water heater similar to your refrigerator, heats the water up throughout the, the heater. It mechanism itself until it reaches a specific degree so that you can have that hot water at the ready. If you actually reduce the temperature a couple full of degrees, that will probably not be noticeable for you when you take that hot shower, but it will keep the temperature from having to go as high as it was. And that can actually save you some money and extra electricity needed to keep the the water at a certain temperature. Also insulation around the home windows, doors, use weather stripping, use cocking. If you're a renter, ask your landlord about any air draft so that you're ensuring that you're using the most efficient insulation to keep cool air inside. Um One other kind of fun tip that most people don't uh just typically don't know or don't do vacuuming refrigerator, coils behind your refrigerator. Um One of the most unseen areas in the home is behind the refrigerator. But if you're able to pull that refrigerator out, maybe even like once a year and, and just actually vacuum all of the dust and debris that accumulate there, it's gonna create a better efficiency uh within the appliance and, and improve the longevity, right. Courtney Klosterman, uh Courtney, thank you for the tips. We all wanna stay cool this summer and uh see less of an impact on our bank accounts, that's for sure.