Be Green and Save Green on Energy Bills this Summer
Keeping your home cool in the heat of the summer can be an expensive undertaking. And with utility costs on the rise, beating the heat this summer looks even more costly. But with a few simple eco-friendly strategies, you can save on energy this summer and the money it costs to use it.
– Use ceiling fans when your air conditioning is on. It will enable you to raise the thermostat about 4 degrees with no discernible difference in temperature. Turn off the ceiling fans when leaving the room, however, as fans are designed to cool people by creating a wind chill effect but do not cool rooms.
– Be sure your home has adequate insulation. Heating and cooling accounts for 50{babbc178be77080b85919e01e8fc05e4d4cf13798276bf03760b167f5df6e3dc} to 70{babbc178be77080b85919e01e8fc05e4d4cf13798276bf03760b167f5df6e3dc} of the energy used in the average US home. Insulation decreases the amount of energy needed and can save you a substantial sum on your energy bill.
– Avoid placing heat-emitting appliances such as TV sets or lamps near your room air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat will sense heat from these appliances causing the air conditioning unit to run longer than necessary.
– If it gets cool at night where you live, consider turning off the air conditioning and opening the windows. The following morning, close the windows to keep in the cool air. Install energy efficient window coverings – they prevent heat gain through windows and help keep rooms cooler longer.
– Replace appliances with new, energy efficient ones. Although this may initially seem costly, it will save money in the long run — think solar-powered sensor lights that require only the sun (and not your electricity) to operate.