Cool your home without breaking your budget
Cool your home without breaking your budget
Cool your home without breaking your budget
By Brian Paterson
In March and April snow may still be lingering in some of the deep shadows, but Spring is the time of year to start thinking about the home cooling you're going to need in the coming months. Staying cool in the dog days of summer can be a challenge, and the costs to do it, budget busting!
The most obvious choice to stay cool in July and August is air conditioning, but the benefits come with a cost. Depending on where you live, as much as 70% of total electricity used can be tied directly to air conditioning.
However, following a few simple tips can improve the summer comfort of your home and save you money on your energy bills too.
The key to summer energy savings and staying cool is to be smart about your air conditioner use, to find, and use, creative ways to reduce the amount of time your air conditioner runs. Here are ten things you can do to save money on cooling.
1. Make sure that your air conditioner is the right size for your home. If your unit is too large or too small, you'll end up wasting energy and money.
2. Provide your home with natural cooling through shading. Shade trees, window blinds and awnings can help reduce the amount of time your air conditioner runs by naturally lowering your home's temperature.
3. Open the windows, and use fans, instead of the air conditioner, to keep your home cool.
4. Insulation isn't just a cold weather thing. In the summer, insulation helps keep the cool air in and the hot air out. So, make sure your home is well insulated.
5. Make sure your air conditioner is working properly and maintain it too. A Spring air conditioner clean and tune by a professional will go a long way to improving the efficiency of your unit and keep your cooling bills under control as well. summer.
6. Invest in a programmable thermostat. Why? Simple. A programmable thermostat allows you to automatically turn off the air conditioning when no one will be home, and turn it back on before you return. Combine that with setting the thermostat at the highest comfortable temperature.
7. Shut off vents in rooms that are not being used Make sure you don't shut too many however. That can restrict air flow and cooling.
8. Make sure your air ducts are properly sealed to prevent leakage.
9. When your air conditioner is running make your storm windows are closed.
10. Avoid summertime oven use. Summer is the perfect time to take the cooking outside.
Staying cool in the summer doesn't have to mean high energy bills. Following a few common sense procedures can create a more comfortable home, while keeping your energy budget in tact. Spring is the time to plan and make the necessary improvements.
Paterson's company, New Buffalo Impact, is a non profit company that not only conducts a comprehensive home energy audit, but also performs the necessary home energy improvement work including insulation, air sealing, windows and doors, furnaces, air conditioners and the purchase and installation of energy efficiency appliances. NBI also works with homeowners to identify, and use, various financial assistance programs
For more details got to www.newbuffaloimpact.com, or contact NBI at inquiry@newbuffaloimpact.com. Interested individuals can also call (716) 881-1477
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