Search Housing Grants by typing your county

Over 2,000 programs and adding every day.

We’ll show you how to achieve such savings with some straightforward tips you can start trying today.

1. Make a “superfan.”

Do you bring extra fans out of storage during the summer months to keep your house cool? You probably do, but you can increase the cooling power of any tabletop fan by doing this:

1. Fill a pan with ice cubes.
2. Sprinkle the ice cubes with rock salt, making sure you coat them sufficiently.
3. Place the pan in front of your fan.
4. Turn the fan on.
5. Enjoy the much cooler air.

To get the money-saving benefit of this tip, turn your AC off for an hour while using the fan. You could do this while watching a TV show, for example, as you sit on a recliner with the fan right next to you.

The salted ice cubes will last longer and will make the fan’s air much cooler. And by having your AC off for an hour once a day, you can enjoy an energy bill that’s $20 lower.

2. Make sure none of your vents are closed.

Some people like to close AC vents in empty rooms or places where there’s little traffic. Although this may seem like a great idea that pushes more cool air to where you need it, closing your vents can trigger costly air leaks.

With some vents closed, you increase pressure in ducts that can result in leaks. And when costly cold air leaks into places like your attic or crawl space, it loses its intended effect and increases your overall bill.

Keep your duct pressure low by opening all of your AC vents. The cool air will flow throughout your home, making it more comfortable. Most importantly, having all of your vents opened can increase your AC system’s efficiency by a whopping 20 percent.

3. Keep your condenser unobstructed.

Have you let your landscaping go to the point that your AC condenser is obstructed? If that unit that sits on the ground outside gets blocked by shrubs and other landscaping, it won’t “breathe” properly. And when your condenser can’t breathe, your energy consumption can skyrocket by 30 percent, resulting in a much more expensive bill.

If you see any shrubs, trees, or plants blocking your condenser’s airflow, trim them, so it’s completely clear. This will help you enjoy a lower bill and a more powerful AC.

4. Create your own currents.

Does your home have two floors? Have you noticed that it’s cooler outside than inside during certain hours of the morning and night? If so, you can use all of this to your advantage to create air currents that can lower your cooling costs.

To create cost-cutting currents, do this when the outside temps are cooler than inside:

1. Turn your AC off (as mentioned, an hour a day can lead to $20 monthly savings).
2. Put fans by your ground-floor windows, facing inward.
3. Open your top-floor windows.
4. Turn the ground-floor fans on.

As the ground-floor fans push hot air out of those top-floor windows, your home will become cooler, all while your AC is off and conserving energy.