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| Air dry laundry in the warm air instead of operating your clothes dryer. |
No air conditioner? No problem, really. Even when summer throws you a heat wave, you can keep your home cool and keep utility bills low. Get started saving energy and beating summer heat with these tips.
Ways to conserve energy
Many of these energy conserving measures are free and easy to implement. Adopt these methods at home and realize instant savings on your home utilities.
- Take advantage of summer's longer days and delay turning on the lights in your home until it gets dark.
- Turn off and unplug appliances when they are not in use. Turn off ceiling, box and standing fans when you are not in the room to feel their breeze.
- Air dry laundry in the warm air instead of operating your clothes dryer.
- Use blinds or shades to keep home temperatures down by keeping out the sun.
- Avoid oven cooking on hot summer days, since this will greatly increase home temperatures. Cook on the stove-top, microwave or outside grill instead.
- Use caulk and weatherstripping to keep hot air from entering the home through cracks in windows.
- Avoid using appliances when power is most expensive, generally between 4 and 6 p.m., or when there is an electricity emergency.
- Only operate the dishwasher and washing machine when you can run a full load.
- Switch to energy efficiency appliances, which consume less energy than older appliances. Look for the Energy Star symbol to know if an appliance is rated energy efficient.
Keeping cool for less
You don't need to use an air conditioner to stay cool in the summer. Take advantage of cool nights to draw cool air into the home, then keep out the hot sun to maintain that comfortable climate. Try these tips:
- Open the windows at night to let cool air in. In the morning, close the windows to keep cool air in and hot air outside.
- Use a box fan in the window to draw cool air inside.
- Run ceiling fans counterclockwise, so that you feel a breeze when standing underneath.
- Use exterior awnings to shade your windows and decrease home heating due to sunlight. Awnings reduce this solar heat gain by 65 to 77 percent, depending on window direction. In the home, blinds or window coverings can also reduce heat gain to keep you cool.
- Apply a reflective window film on your windows to redirect heat back into the atmosphere.
- Beat the heat outside. Movies, malls and museum offer air conditioned environments that keep you cool. Pools, ponds and beaches make for a refreshing swim.
- Cool off with quick cold showers or by applying a cool compress to the back of your neck.
- Drink a cold beverage. This keeps you cool and hydrated.
Get creative about keeping cool while saving energy in the spring and summer months. Before you know it, fall temperatures will bring cool days and crisp nights and you'll be looking for ways to stay warm in the wintertime.
For more home energy conservation tips, please visit homechanneltv.com.