You probably associate the summer months with a higher electric bill, and unfortunately, that can sometimes be the case, but only sometimes.

Where You Live Matters

Luckily for us, and you, we live in Florida, where even though we complain about the weather from time to time, it may be helping our electric bill. Living in a colder climate, for example, New York or Illinois, is more energy demanding than living in a hot climate like the one we have in Florida.

Experts say that both heating and cooling your home takes large amounts of energy – more than we use for any other home appliance – but according to researchers at the National Geographic’s The Green Guide, it seems as though heating your home takes more energy than trying to cool it.  According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, heating can account for up to two-thirds of your annual energy bills.

Carbon Dioxide & Energy

When talking about measuring energy, most of the energy consumed by your AC or heating system is measured in Carbon Dioxide Pounds (CO2, which is a major warming gas).

For example, when you power your house with electricity, your CO2 emissions can average about 4,700 pounds. If you’re trying to heat up your home in a colder state, you could be using anywhere between 8,000 pounds of CO2 for natural gas and 9,900 pounds of CO2 for electric heat.

Since we are in Florida, the numbers look a little different. Typically a Centralized AC unit produces only about 6,000 pounds of CO2 rather than 9,900 pounds for heating in a colder state, which in the end is saving you a good amount of energy.

Reducing Your Cost

Though every AC and Heating system is different, one of the best ways to reduce your usage of CO2 pounds is to simply adjust your thermostat. For example, if you have a Central AC unit, for every degree you set it above 72 degrees Fahrenheit, you’re saving about 120 pounds of CO2 emissions.

For more great information on energy usage and other topics, click here to see One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® of Clearwater full blog list!