“Despite the current economic climate, people have no qualms about turning on the AC,” according to Jeffrey Mayer, MXenergy CEO. “Staying comfortable never goes out of fashion for Americans and their families.”
The study found that 70 percent of consumers will have no problem turning on the air conditioning this summer when needed. That said, 40 percent say they’ll still use their ceiling fan when they can, and 37 percent of the women surveyed said they will try to go with lighter clothes before turning on the air conditioning.
While people appreciate the other cooling options, the study found that 67 percent of people said they couldn’t live without their air conditioning. And unlike so many other things in life, men (66%) and women (68%) agree on the topic.
That doesn’t mean that Americans aren’t paying attention to what they spend on energy. They can certainly strike a balance between keeping cool and keeping cash in their wallets.
“Air conditioners use about five percent of all the electricity produced in the United States, at a cost of over $11 billion to homeowners,” added Mayer. “Switching to high-efficiency air conditioners and insulating homes from escaping air can reduce this energy use by 20%–50%.”
Americans did differ about when to turn on the air conditioner. While about 20 percent said the official start of summer also means it’s time to blast the AC, 11 percent said they keep it on all year long. But, more than half of the respondents said they’ll flick on the AC “when I can’t stand the heat anymore.”
About one percent said they won’t turn on the AC and they’ll stop into a friendly neighborhood business that’s cool.
“Energy efficiency is all about finding, and fixing, the weak spots in your house that lead to drafts and wasted energy,” says Mayer. “One of the best ways to minimize your summer cooling costs is to do a home energy audit.”
These audits can help homeowners look for leaky windows, poor duct systems and inadequate insulation.
