It’s that time of year again—the summer heat is here and it’s making everyone uncomfortable. But if you’re a church, there’s a way to reduce your energy costs and keep cool: air conditioning.

Air conditioning is one of the biggest energy hogs in a church building, but it can also be one of the most effective ways to lower your bills. Air conditioning keeps your congregation comfortable during services and ensures that no one gets too hot if they’re not able to leave the building throughout the day.

However, air conditioning does have a cost associated with it: electricity. Luckily, there are several ways to keep your energy usage down without sacrificing comfort or safety for your congregation.

The first thing you’ll want to do is check how much power your equipment uses in total—this can vary widely depending on what type of AC unit you have (forced-air vs window units) and how often it runs. Once you know how much power each piece of equipment uses in total, look into ways you can reduce that number by making some simple changes!

For example, if you have an older system that doesn’t run as efficiently as newer models (or if it simply hasn’t been maintained properly), consider replacing it with a newer unit. Older models can use up to twice as much energy as newer ones, but they still work just as well if not better! If you’re looking for something that’s more cost-effective and efficient than traditional forced-air systems, consider installing a heat pump.