The costs associated with keeping your home cool can be easy to forget…until you get your monthly hydro bill! And once you get your first high energy bill, you’ll probably start brainstorming ways to avoid it next month.
Besides turning your air conditioning unit up to a degree or two, implementing some energy efficiency tips can make a huge difference to your household’s cooling costs. Check out our suggestions below!
1. Keep the Interior of Your Home as Cool as Possible, Naturally
Up to 30 percent of unwanted heat can easily penetrate through your home’s windows, causing the inside temperature to increase.
Reduce this from happening by keeping blinds and curtains closed throughout the day. Even better? Invest in some blackout curtains, which can naturally insulate the room they’re installed in.
Interior lighting can also create some heat, so be sure to keep as many unnecessary lights off as possible.
2. Use Your Home’s Fans Effectively
Did you know that ceiling fans – which help move cool air produced from your air conditioning unit throughout your home – need to be adjusted seasonally?
When set to run counter-clockwise at a higher speed throughout the summer months, ceiling fans create a wind-chill breeze effect to keep you cooler.
Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans can also be used to pull hot air away from their respective rooms effectively.
3. Cool Necessary Rooms Only
If you and your family predominately use only a handful of your home’s rooms, then keep the unused rooms’ doors closed tightly. Consider blocking off the vents in these rooms, too.
Doing so ensures the cool air produced from your air conditioning unit isn’t being wasted in unused rooms.
4. Sleep Cooler
Many people enjoy sleeping in cooler temperatures. But before reaching for the thermostat during the evening hours to make your home cooler, try some no-cost methods, first!
Use cotton sheets on your bed as it breathes easier and stays cooler than flannel and fleece. Switch your pillow to buckwheat, which has naturally occurring airspace that won’t hold body heat like a conventional pillow.
5. Invest in Energy Efficiency
Keep your home cooler for summers to come by investing in an energy efficient air conditioner!
Older A/C units produce greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. Not only are new air conditioners better for the environment, but they use less energy – keeping more money in your pocket.
Keep Cool this Summer while Efficiently Using Your A/C Unit!
With this summer already reaching record-breaking temperatures, most air conditioning units are working at full tilt.
But instead of just turning your air conditioner down to further cool off your home, use some energy efficiency tips like described above.
Your home will remain cooler – without increasing your home’s energy costs!
