Can I Save Energy by Sleeping With the Windows Open?
During the hot summers in Greenville, TX, the best way to keep your home comfortable is to use your home’s air conditioner. During the cooler spring months, though, you may be able to get some “free” air conditioning by opening your windows and letting fresh air flow into your home. Does using this approach actually save energy, though? To help ensure you maintain a comfortable home without wasting money, the pros at Ken Parker Service, Inc. have some tips regarding sleeping with your windows open.
Cooler Night Hours
If you decide to cool your home using open windows, it’s important to limit the times when you keep the windows open. The cool night hours before the sun rises are the best hours to have your windows open so that you can be sure the outdoor air will be at a comfortable temperature. As soon as the sun comes up, there are no guarantees that it will be cool enough to maintain a comfortable sleeping environment. Therefore, if you desire to sleep with your windows open, you need to be committed to getting up when the sun rises.
Moving Air
Another important component of staying comfortable while you’re sleeping is making sure that the cool air from outside is constantly moving. Stagnant air, even air that’s comfortably cool, likely won’t be cool enough to allow you to sleep. However, if you run a fan in your room, you’ll be able to circulate the cool air from outside and help the air feel cooler on your skin. If you don’t have a fan, a tip from Ken Parker Service, Inc. is to run your HVAC system on fan-only mode. This will allow air to circulate throughout your home without operating the high-draw air conditioner, thus saving you money.
Humidity Is a Factor
When it comes to staying cool in Texas, humidity is always a factor. Even if the temperature is expected to be cool, humidity can quickly make you uncomfortable while you’re sleeping. In some cases, you may be able to run a dehumidifier in your room to remove the humidity before it has a chance to make you uncomfortable. It’s important to consider the energy usage of a dehumidifier, though, to make sure you don’t end up using more energy than you would to simply run your HVAC system. If you’re unsure about the humidity levels in your bedroom, you can use a hygrometer to track the levels over time and see at what humidity level you become uncomfortable.
Efficiency of Your HVAC System
Before deciding to sleep with your windows open, Ken Parker Service, Inc. encourages you to consider the efficiency of your HVAC system. Ultimately, there are fewer question marks involved when you choose to cool your home with your air conditioner. Therefore, though it’s not as inexpensive as sleeping with your windows open, it may still make sense to cool your home with your air conditioner if it’s not terribly inefficient. This is definitely true if you have a ground-source heat pump. These systems are the most efficient type of HVAC systems and provide exceptional cooling in a quiet, durable, and cheap-to-run package.
Safety Considerations
Any time you open a window, you introduce an element of risk. Even though Greenville is a safe community, there are still no guarantees that a criminal won’t take advantage of an open window to unlawfully enter your home. If your bedroom is on the first floor of your home, it’s probably best to sleep with your windows closed. On the second floor, though, there is much less risk of an attempted break-in, meaning that you can take advantage of nature’s air conditioning as often as you’d like. Allergies are another factor to consider. An open window will allow allergens from outside to freely flow into your home, potentially causing breathing trouble while you sleep. To prevent this, you may want to take some allergy medicine before you go to bed so that you don’t wake up in the middle of the night with a runny nose.
Finding New Ways to Keep You Comfortable
At Ken Parker Service, Inc., we’re always looking for new ways to keep our customers comfortable and help them save money. That’s why we take pride in the heating, cooling and air purifier installation services that we offer. For over 40 years, residents of this community have trusted us when they have home comfort needs, leaving us many five-star reviews along the way. To learn more about energy-saving tips for your home, contact us at Ken Parker Service, Inc. today.
