How to Reduce Energy Costs in the Summer Featured Image

Summer is a beautiful time, full of the hum of insects, the shouts of children laughing at play... and the insidious and exasperating drone of the air conditioner! When the temperatures rise, so do the energy bills, but this doesn’t need to be the case. Even if you want to stay as cool as a cucumber this summer, be aware of some of these techniques that you can use to keep your expenses low.

Thermostat Timers

When people think about thermostat timers, they usually think about the winter months. However, a timer can also be applied to your air conditioning system, allowing it to start cooling your home just twenty or thirty minutes before you get home. No one likes waiting for their home to cool down, but frankly, cooling an empty house is pretty irritating as well! Install one of these timers and you can kick off your shoes in cool rooms as soon as you get home.

Plant Trees

Now, this may not pay off this year or the next, but given how fast some trees grow and what kind of great investment they often hare, this is a good choice. Trees are a natural and very green way to keep your energy costs down all year round. They provide shade that keeps the home cool in the summer, and they also provide cover and a surprising amount of insulation that keeps it warm in the winter. Find native trees to make sure that you don't have an insect attack, and be willing to take good care of them. 

Ice and Fans

This is an old-fashioned trick that is wonderful when you are thinking about trying to keep just a single room cool. Put a box fan in the window, and then set a bowl of ice cubes in front of it. The ice melts and the fan distributes the cool air throughout the home. You may be a little surprised, but this does make a fantastic difference!

Solar Powered Clothes Drying

Two big culprits for energy waste in the home is the washer and dryer, and with just a little bit of forethought, you will find that you can remove at least one of these devices from the equation. Solar-powered clothes drying means taking a big step back, and just stringing a clothes line in your yard. It may take a little bit of forethought, but the way your clothes smell after hanging out on a sunny day is amazing! When the item that needs cleaning, in general, is not actually dirty, like bedding, just hang it out on a hot day. Ozone and fresh air will freshen the linen beautifully.

Clean Your Air Conditioner Filters

Whether you've got a wall unit or a nice central air system, make sure that you clean your air conditioner filters. The filters are meant to catch a lot of the airborne sentiment that comes through them, but they don't have anywhere to put them. Cleaning these filters refreshes your air quality, and it also allows you to have your cooling devices act as efficiently as they can.

Close Up the Downstairs, Open the Upstairs

Hot air rises, so you want to make the most of the cool air in the rooms downstairs. One good way to do this is to make sure that all of the vents in the lower part of the house are closed, and that all of the vents in the upper part of the house are opened. Some people take it one step further and only open the windows in their upstairs during the day. Frankly, we like all of the windows open because it lets us catch that awesome cross breeze.

There are plenty of ways to keep your home cool during the hot months without running your energy bill up to monstrous proportions. Spend that cash on an icy treat instead, or just keep the money in your pocket. From ice cubes to tall trees, you can do a lot to save on energy this summer!

Photo credits: shutterstock.com

Posted by Terry Paranych on

Tags

Email Send a link to post via Email

Leave A Comment

e.g. yourwebsitename.com
Please note that your email address is kept private upon posting.