As temperatures start to rise, so does the cost of keeping our homes comfortable. Cooling costs account for the majority of our summer utility bills, which causes most people to seek out ways to reduce their energy use. Here are nine simple tips on how you can keep your cooling bill from rising.
Keep as much heat out of your house as possible: You should obviously make sure doors, windows and other openings remain closed during the heat of the day. But don’t forget about simple things like window coverings – by consistently keeping them closed during the day, it can reduce your cooling bill by a third.
Get rid of the warm inside air at night: Your house will warm up some during the day, regardless of what you do. So when the sun goes down and the night cools off, open windows and doors to help air out your home. You can help this along by using fans to help blow the air out. Summer air can also get stale, so even if you feel you don’t need to cool the house off, by doing so you will at least get fresh air.
Minimize heat and moisture production during the hottest part of the day: mid-afternoon, approximately 2 pm, is generally the hottest time of the day. Running appliances such as the oven, laundry machine or dishwasher should be saved for either early morning or until after the sun goes down. These appliances create moisture and heat within your home, and when it’s already hot outside, it is difficult to get rid of this extra heat.
Use fans (stand, central, or other) to create air movement: Moving air actually feels cooler than standing air of the same temperature. If you’re not using an air conditioner, this is especially important. Fans are a great way to create air movement within your home to make the warm temperatures more bearable.
If you use air conditioning, ensure it is in perfect shape: Air conditioners that aren’t running up to par are not just using energy, they are wasting energy. Make sure that all parts of the air conditioner are working properly and that the filters are clean and changed often.
Shut the cooling ducts to seldom-used rooms: This includes storage rooms, extra offices, bathrooms, and bedrooms of family members who don’t mind the heat. By shutting down the ductwork, you can eliminate the cost of unnecessarily cooling rooms that are used infrequently.
Set the thermostat as high as you and your family’s health can tolerate: If you have small children, elderly adults, or anyone with a chronic health condition living in your home, you must obviously keep the house cool enough to make them comfortable. However, if you are a healthy adult, consider starting at 75-78 degrees. The hotter you can set your thermostat, the lower your summer utility bill will be.
Insulate and/or seal attics, doors, windows, etc. Many people worry about leaks in their walls or foundations when the temperatures start to drop. But a house that lets cold air in will also let summer air in and make it difficult to keep cool. So use this opportunity to make sure your house is well-insulated and without leaks around doors, windows, or other openings.
Consider long-term cooling projects. If you plan to be in your house for an extended number of years, consider landscaping projects that will help to cool your house. There are a wide variety of shade trees which can help with the cooling costs of your home as they grow and reach maturity. Depending on where they are placed in your yard, shrubs can channel air movement away from or towards your home. This can have a great impact on cooling costs. Another idea for keeping your house cooler is to paint the exterior of your house in a lighter shade. Darker houses have been shown to hold more summer heat.
