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Tip of the Month
Beat the Summer Heat and the Electrical Bill
The Internet is filled with great ways to save on energy bills this summer while keeping cool. Below is a list of our four favorite energy saving and heat combating tips we found a long the way.
1. Don't Cool An Empty House
Even though it seems obvious, this one gets ignored or forgotten all too often. When leaving the house, turn off the AC so it is not running all day long and cooling an empty house. If you must keep it on because you do not want your house to get too hot when you return, keep it at a modest temperature like 78 F / 25 C and that way the AC is not using unnecessary energy but still not letting the house overheat. When you come home, lower the temperature but remember that when you come back, turning the unit to its coldest setting won't cool your house any faster, so set it to your desired temperature and be patient.
2. Close Shades on the Sunny Side of the House
Much like cooling an empty room it s easy to forget if you are not actually in the room. The open shades will work against your AC and make it work harder and use more energy then needed.
3. Air Dry your laundry
Home appliances are a major factor in the energy consumption of homes, but summer gives you an opportunity to work with the natural elements and lower your energy bill. After washing a load of laundry, take it outside to dry instead of dropping it in the dryer and the hot summer air will do the same job as the dryer. A clothesline or a regular stand up dryer rack will do the trick.
4. Replace your Incandescent Light Bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs.
CFL light bulbs give off 75% less heat, use 75% less energy and last six times longer. Most of the energy that goes into an incandescent bulb generates heat, which is the last thing anyone needs when trying to cool your home in the summer heat.
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"To live content within small means: to seek elegance rather than luxury and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; in a word to let the spiritual unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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