If your electric bill is hitting the roof because of your family's air conditioning use, it's time to find alternative ways of cooling your home and reducing your bill.
While most of us automatically reach for the air conditioner switch when the temperature rises to eighty degrees or above, there are other ways of keeping the house cool and comfortable. Try these tips:
1. Install ceiling fans in all main rooms. At night, use ceiling fans to circulate the air and make it less stagnant so you can breathe easier and sleep deeper. By day turn on the ceiling or floor fans to keep air moving in areas like the family room, living room, and kitchen. You will be surprised to see how much difference an area fan can make. When it's unplugged, use a duster to clean the blades of dust so you don't blow it around the room.
2. Switch on the whole-house fan. If your attic has a whole-house fan, get in the habit of turning it on instead of the air conditioner. It costs less to use, although it makes more noise. Some folks believe it does a better job of cooling the entire house than air conditioning does. If you don't have one in the attic, check prices and energy usage to see if one might help your electric bill.
3. Open windows. Unless the air outside is in the high eighties or above, you may be able to catch a breeze by opening house windows to ventilate your rooms. Better yet, open two or more windows across from each other to get a cross-breeze. The air is fresher and more active, typically, in the morning and evening, but on some days you might get a nice breeze in the afternoon as the day begins to cool down.
4. Dress in light clothing. Encourage everyone to wear shorts and go sleeveless in the house. This will help to keep body temperatures low and the atmosphere comfortable. When you go outside, wear white or light colors, which helps to keep your body from attracting and holding heat from the sun. When you return indoors, you will be less warm than if you had worn dark clothing.
5. Spend time outdoors. Some houses trap and hold warm air, making the house feel hotter than the outside area. If this is the case, head for the patio and take a nap on the hammock or sip a cold drink under the beach umbrella. Even getting under the shade of a spreading tree can make a difference in how hot we perceive the weather to be. Head outside in the morning before nine and later, perhaps after six, to avoid sun damage to your skin with the possible risk of melanoma, or skin cancer. If this works well for you, consider adding a gazebo, porch, or shaded deck to your home, which may increase its value while helping to lower your cooling bills.
Reducing the amount of time that you use an air conditioner not only helps your budget, it's good for the environment and other people by minimizing the amount of energy used in your home. Encourage others to follow suggestions like these so that all of us can make a difference in energy consumption.
