It is summer in Arkansas, and along with the high temperatures can come uncomfortably high electric bills. There are some easy and relatively low-cost (or even no-cost) ways that you can save energy, though, while still keeping your home comfortable. Here are our top tips for summer energy savings:

• Use window shades. Sunlight shining through windows warms up the interior of your house, forcing your air conditioner to work harder and longer to keep your home comfortable.
• Use ceiling fans. A ceiling fan doesn’t change the temperature in your house, but it makes a room feel colder, and that is what matters when you are talking about home comfort. Turn the ceiling fan on, and turn the thermostat up, to save energy.
• Turn the ceiling fan back off whenever you leave the room.
• Unplug electrical devices when they are not in use, and unplug phone chargers or other adapters when they are not actually powering anything. Most adapters use electricity whether they are charging anything or not, and turn that wasted power into heat.
• Replace your air conditioner filter. A dirty filter can essentially plug up the duct system, making your air conditioner work harder. Check the filter monthly, and, if it looks dirty, replace it.
• Keep your HVAC system maintained. Your car cannot run at peak efficiency if the tires are flat and the oil hasn’t been changed in 3 years, yet some people think an air conditioner should work fine without ever being maintained.
• Cut down on how often you run the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer by always operating them with full loads.
• Cook fast. Microwaves are actually the most energy-efficient way to cook, and they don’t produce much extra heat for your A/C to combat.
• When replacing appliances, such as your refrigerator, dryer, ceiling fans, or even light bulbs, choose energy-efficient models. The easiest way to tell if something is relatively efficient is to look for the ENERGY STAR label.

As per the US Environmental Protection Agency, R22 refrigerant will become illegal in the United States on January 1 , 2020. After that R22 refrigerant phase out date, R22 refrigerant can no longer be manufactured or imported into the US. If your system uses this type of freon, the cost of repairing it will outweigh the value of the system, and it's probably time to start preparing to replace your system.

It's time to change your filters again! One of the most important things you can do for your heating and air system is change the filters monthly. A clean air filter, along with clean coils, helps keep your system running as efficiently as possible.