Summer Energy-Saving Tips
Summer is an exciting time of year, with great weather and fun times. However, summer can also be a famously energy-wasting time of year as well. In addition to the electronic devices and appliances that you use all year round, the summer brings with it the likelihood that you will be using your air conditioner, ceiling fans, and/or portable fans more than usual to reduce the heat in your home. All of this adds up to higher electric bills.
Therefore, it is important to takes steps to reduce your energy usage to both keep the heat down in your home and to make sure you don’t break the bank with all of your energy consumption during the warm summer months. Here are a few summer energy-saving tips to help you stay cool this summer.
- Turn up your thermostat while you are away from home. You don’t need your home to be cool while you are not there to enjoy it. General standards are to set your thermostat around 78 degrees F or higher when you are home and 85 degrees F when you are away from home.
- Make sure your fridge is mostly filled with food at all times. This will result in less heat getting into your fridge when you open the door several times in a row. With less heat inside, your refrigerator won’t have to work as hard, increasing your energy efficiency.
- Try cooking outside with a grill instead of using your oven. Not only will this get you out in the nice weather, but it will also keep you from using appliances in your home that require electricity. This will increase your energy efficiency by reducing the frequency that you use your appliances, as well as keeping the heat generated to cook your food outside instead of inside.
- Remember that fans don’t actually make your home colder, they just blow air around. In fact, fans make you feel cooler using the wind-chill effect. Therefore, don’t leave your fan on if you aren’t in the room—it is just wasting energy.
What are some of your favorite energy-saving tips during the summer?
