Smart Ways to Save Energy in Your Home this Summer

When people talk about the importance of reducing the energy consumption they usually take as an example some part of the year when the energy wastes are the most evident. Summer is, probably, most frequently mentioned. Unlike winter, whose heating problems are addressed with electricity only, everything regarding cooling requires tons of energy. Also, people usually reserve various home improvement projects for this particular season, which tend to be very energy consuming.

Let us see how we can mitigate this issue, and do our best to bridge this summer while saving as much energy as we can.

Use Your Windows for Cooling the Air

Throughout the summer temperatures tend to change – from very hot during the day, to pleasantly cool during the night. Use that to your advantage, keep your windows open the entire night and capture the cold air by closing the windows immediately in the morning. Applying the heat reducing film on the outside of your windows will be of immense help.

Utilize the Sunlight

However, it should be mentioned that heat reducing films tend to make windows unnecessarily dim. If you try to compensate for this by turning the lights on, you will accomplish nothing. Instead, paint your walls in bright colors. Ideally, you should choose white, which is able to reflect up to 80% of light. Add into the mix a few carefully placed mirrors – which will allow you to keep the lights off until the very dark.

Use Lighting More Efficiently

And by efficiently, we mean change your wasteful incandescent bulbs for their more environmentally friendly alternatives, CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights). Their benefits are twofold – Not only do they consume less energy than standard bulbs, they also don’t get as hot, reducing the need for cooling as a result. Push your savings even further by installing timers for turning the lights off, and use task lighting (table lamps, under counter lamps, etc.) whenever you can. If you want to enhance your contribution to the “green cause”, consider using Organic LEDs which are sweeping their way into the energy-efficient homes since 2010.

Prioritize Regular Electrical Maintenance

While light bulbs may be among the smaller energy consumers in your home, they’re far from the only ones. Ensuring regular electrical maintenance is just as important as upgrading to energy-efficient appliances like top-tier washing machines, wine coolers, and refrigerators. Not only does this help reduce your energy consumption, but it also minimizes safety risks and extends the lifespan of your devices. Partnering with a trusted electrical business can help you stay on top of necessary inspections, wiring checks, and safety upgrades. Additionally, unplugging appliances when they’re not in use can cut down standby power consumption, which often makes up about 10% of a household’s yearly energy usage.

Tame the Water Heating

Firstly, wash your laundry with cold water – the detergent will work just as efficient. Second, set your thermostat to no more than 120ºF. If you keep it on the default 140ºF, you may waste 36-61 USD in standby heat loses and over 400 USD in demand loses. Finally, turn the water heater off if you are going away from home for a few days.

Do Your Summer Chores Efficiently

If you are one of those people who like to use dry summer season for outside work, make sure you cut the energy consumption to the bare minimum. For example, try using push reel mowers, gardening scissors and other frugal gardening tools. Also, it would be a very good idea to plant a few trees which will provide your house with a shade during the hot summer months. While you are still outside inspect your roof and see if you can make it more energy efficient.

Bottom Line

These were some of the ways you can save a lot of energy in your home this summer. Is there more room for additional savings? Of course there is, but we have to start somewhere. Besides, every effort counts, and if you just consume less energy than you have last summer you are already doing a wonderful thing for Mother Nature.