At CaliforniaFIRST, we offer smart financing for a collection of highly efficient cooling products to help you save big!

Did you know a traditional air conditioner can cost up to $1,400 annually to operate and consumes an average of 6,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year (based on a rate of 23 cents per kHw)? That’s the equivalent of using a laptop for 120,000 hours or watching 36,000 sitcom episodes on a plasma TV. We offer smart financing for a collection of highly efficient cooling products, including high-efficiency air conditioners, to help you save on home cooling costs. Air conditioners aren’t the only way to stay cool, though; there are several other low-energy, low-cost products to help you cool off during the hot months of the year. Here are a few of our other energy-saving cooling options:

Whole House Fan

Whole house fans circulate the air in a home, usually by drawing stale and hot air up out of living areas and into the attic. When it’s running, the fan creates negative pressure in the home, drawing in fresh air through open windows. These fans capitalize on the power of air circulation and can seriously cut down on the need to run your AC. Whole house fans use 10-20% of the electricity of a standard AC unit and can save up to 90% in cooling costs.

Evaporative Cooler

Evaporative coolers (or “swamp coolers” as they’re sometimes called) are units that cool air through water evaporation, since evaporating water significantly reduces the temperature of a surrounding space. Evaporative coolers are particularly useful in dry places like California, since they add moisture to the indoor air as the water evaporates. Evaporative coolers use just 25% of the electricity of a traditional AC (or approximately 1,500 kWh per year) and cut cooling costs of a normal AC by up to 75%.

Air Source Heat Pump

Air source heat pumps are non-combustive units that effectively move heat rather than converting it like a traditional unit. They pack a double punch and can be used for both heating and cooling throughout the year. Consisting of a compressor, two heat exchanger coils, and liquid refrigerant, these units can extract heat from the air (either indoors or outdoors), convert it to gas, and release the heat in a different location. The heat extraction process is reversed depending on the season, to either heat or cool the indoor air. Air source heat pumps use 25% of the electricity of a standard AC and can help homeowners save up to 75% on annual cooling bills.

Air Sealing & Insulation

Air sealing and insulation give a boost to all cooling systems by tightening the border between the inside and outside of the home, which is known as the “building envelope.” By strategically insulating non-air conditioned areas of the home and sealing up cracks and gaps around leaky spots, homeowners can generally expect to save around 15% on cooling (and heating!) bills year-round. Stay cool, California. To learn more about how we can help you cut cooling costs (and to learn about all of our eligible cooling products), check your eligibility for our financing programs or call us at 844-589-7953 today!