How to keep your home cool during hot summer months

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — It’s summertime in Kansas, meaning warmer temperatures have air conditioners working overtime to keep homes cool.

Residents will also likely feel the pain when the electric bill arrives. Evergy has a few tips to save a few bucks while still keeping your home cool.

“Delay the use of heat-producing appliances,” Kayley Bohlen, Evergy communications manager, said. “Washing your clothes or your dishes early in the morning, late at night and then maybe opting for a crock pot meal or grilling out instead of turning the oven on.”

Now is also the time to seal up the gaps around doors, windows and attics to keep the cool air in. Roughly 25% of a home’s cooling energy can slip through the cracks.

“Using like weather stripping to seal up around the edges or even like rolling up a towel and putting it at the bottom to seal up the gap so you know something that you can find around the house like a towel is an easy, cheap way to seal off those gaps,” said Bohlen.

Other tips include servicing your air conditioner, changing your air filter on a regular basis, keeping your blinds and curtains closed during the hottest parts of the day, turning up the thermostat a few degrees when you leave the house, and switching light bulbs with LEDs.

“Switching out five regular light bulbs with LEDs can save you $100 a year, so a little bit of an investment upfront but can ultimately save you money in the long run,” said Bohlen.

Another good idea is utilizing fans to cool yourself down, not just rooms. Remember to turn them off when you leave the room so that you’re not wasting energy.

“Higher energy use in the summer can lead to a higher bill, so making some of those simple changes around the house can save you energy and ultimately save you money,” said Bohlen.

Evergy has resources such as average payment plans, which help customers anticipate their bills and prepare a budget instead of basing it on how much energy was used.