So, here in SW Virginia, we’re just starting our first really warm week. Summer has perhaps finally arrived. And with that comes that heavy energy load we lovingly call Air Conditioners.

Now if you live in a very dry part of the country, what I’m going to say here doesn’t really apply to you. For you I say only, get rid of that AC and go for an Evaporative Cooler. Does the job at a tiny fraction of the cost of an AC.

For all the rest of you who live in areas that get hot and moderately or very humid, this information can be very helpful.

The fact is that the real benefit of an air conditioner isn’t so much to cool the air but to dehumidify your home. Knowing this could save you loads of money this summer. The dehumidifying function that your Air Conditioner performs is what really makes you feel nice, and for that, you don’t need to set your thermostat anywhere near as low as you might think.

I’ve been into so many homes where they insist that 74 degrees is what they need to stay nice and cool, and hey, if that’s your truth, then power to you (and high utility bills, too!). But the truth is, that same home with a thermostat set to, maybe, 78 degrees would be just as comfortable. It depends on where you live and what the outside humidity is, so you might have to play with it some, but if you give it a try, I’ll bet you won’t regret it – especially when your utility bills comes in so much lower.

Roughly speaking, raising your summer thermostat temperature by 1 degree will save you 1% of the cost to run that AC over a period of 8 hours. This is true both for keeping the standard temperature higher and for using a programmable thermostat to let your home warm up while you’re out. That means that if you raised the temperature from, say 74 to 78 degrees throughout the summer, you should save around 12% on your cooling bill.

That’s that much more money for fun in the sun! Check out enerchek.com for many more great energy saving ideas.