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Change # 1-Close Your Air Conditioning

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An air conditioned home is something that people often take for granted. After all, cool, comfortable temperatures usually require nothing more than a simple adjustment of your thermostat. What too many people don't realize, however, is that your air conditioning unit has to do a great deal of work in order to make your home comfortable--and homeowners often make this job even more difficult with improper use.

Fortunately, changing these bad habits and optimizing your air conditioner's output is a relatively simple process. If you focus on a few simple changes, you'll find that your utility bills will drop and your air conditioner will last a lot longer.

Change #1--Close Your Blinds or Curtains

It's easy to underestimate the impact of sunlight on the interior temperature of your home. After all, when the sun isn't shining directly on your skin, it's almost impossible to notice. That said, natural sunlight carries a tremendous amount of heat into …show more content…

A much simpler solution is to just close your blinds or curtains. The sunlight--and the resulting heat--won't have as much of an impact on your home's temperature. Your air conditioner will have an easier time cooling your home to the desired temperature as a result.

Change #2--Switch Your Open Vents Around

Neglect is a common theme when dealing with your air conditioner, and your home's vents are no exception. Too often, people only change their open and closed vents when a particular room feels uncomfortable. By then, it's already too late.

Instead, think about the simple physics of warm and cool air. Hot air tends to rise--making your upstairs rooms much warmer than the lower ones. If you close your lower vents and open the top ones instead, the cool air will start out where it can do the most good before sinking to the lower levels of your home.

Change #3--Replace Your Air Filter

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