Cooling Your Home without Raising Your Bill
A lot of people feel like the earth is heating up due to global warming, while others argue and say that the climate change is just part of a normal cycle. Whatever stance you take on the topic, the summers do seem to be heating up. Another thing that is escalating is energy costs. These two things factor in making homeowners’ energy bills much higher than what most would like. Some believe a high energy bill is just part of the norm. Others, on the other hand, are taking a more candid approach and doing things that will lower their power bill while still ensuring that they have a cool home. No, you don’t need to resort to extremes like dampening the bed sheets as people did before electricity. But you can do a few things to stay cool without depending on the air conditioner.
To start the ball rolling, take a look at your windows, especially those facing west. Consider covering them with dark, heavy-duty drapes or blinds that are specially designed to keep the heat out. Most home improvement stores have such coverings, and they really do go a long way toward keeping a room cool. Once night falls, feel free to pull or retract your new window coverings and open the windows up. This allows for some nice cross-ventilation, which will help you to fall asleep in comparative comfort without having to use the a/c at all. If you have French doors leading to a porch, install an awning. It will help keep the sun out and gives you a cool place to hang out in other than inside your expensive-to-cool house.
If it’s still too warm in your house at night, point a fan at the bed. Fans do use energy of course, but far less than central air conditioning or wall/window units. Low-E windows help, too. They might cost you a small amount, but they’ll pay for themselves over time. Another option for homeowners is to get a large ventilating fan in the attic, running it at night in order to pull colder air through the open windows and into the home, concurrently pushing hot air into the roof area.
Based on the region where you live you simply may not be able to keep away from using your air conditioning. There are things to do to help reduce how much air conditioning you are using, however. The initial thing to do is to turn off any appliance that could be producing heat. Examples include lamps and televisions. Ensure that none of these sorts of heat producers are next to your thermostat. Another good thing to do is to make sure that all of your ducts are sealed the right way. This can make a big difference on your how your unit is working. If you have enough money, an additional good idea is to put in a low energy air conditioner. The right size air conditioner is also important. If a system is too big, it will cool a room quicker but will not eliminate humidity as well. The larger air conditioner could leave the room feeling clammy as well as costing you more money on your power bills.
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