Save Enegy This Summer

During the summer many people use more energy to keep their homes cool. There are numerous ways to cool your home and also conserve electricity saving you money. These tips can helps you use less electricity and save up to 50% on your energy bill.

• 1) Adjust the thermostat- Electric thermostats can be programmed so that the A/C in on even when you do not need it. To save energy turn the thermostat up before you leave and back down when you are home.

• 2) Seal off openings- To keep the cool from you’re A/C in your home make your there are no openings where the air can escape such as a window or door. Perform an air leak test and seal off any place where air escapes. This keeps your home cool even when the A/C is not on and keeps you’re A/C from working too hard.

• 3) Find Peak hours- in many cities, electricity usage is calculated by time of use. Find out when your off peak hours are and use your electrical appliances (washing machine, dishwasher, etc) at these times. Usually electricity rates are lower in the morning, night, and weekends.

• 4) Only use light when necessary- When you are not home or in a room turn the lights off. Also during the day having a light on is not always necessary, many times using natural sunlight to light a room can provide enough light.

• 5) Close your blinds- When you are not home during the day closing the blinds in your home can help keep it cool. Closing the blinds blocks the heat from sunlight which would have heated areas of your home through the windows.

• 6) Eliminate wasteful habits- don’t have the refrigerator open for a long time, take shorter showers, and don’t leave the water running while brushing your teeth.

• 7) Unplug devices when not in use- when electrical devices are plugged in an outlet they are still consuming electricity, so when you are not using them unplug them so they do not use more electricity than needed.

• 8) Wash Laundry Efficiently- To conserve electricity wash using cold water, most of the energy is used to heat the water. Also maximize each load of laundry so that you use the washer and dryer less times.

• 9) Hang your clothes to dry- During the summer to conserve energy instead of using a dryer to dry clothes you can hang them using the sun to dry them.

• 10) Use energy Efficient Light bulbs- Energy efficient light bulbs use less energy and provide the same amount of light, use LED or CFL bulbs which are also longer lasting.

• 11) Use fans- Fans can help circulate cool air from you’re A/C and allow you to set the A/C at a lower temperature conserving energy, but turn them off when you leave the room.

• 12) Avoid using the oven- cook on a stove, microwave, or grill outside