Conserve Energy During Summer with These Tips

With the temperature rising together with the electricity and fuel prices (around 35% increase from the previous year), you need to find ways to conserve energy and lower cooling costs without sacrificing your comfort (of course). Fortunately, this is something you can do without spending too much on home improvement and some fancy gadgets.

One way to conserve energy during the sweltering summer months without skimping on your comfort is to improve your HVAC’s efficiency, such as maintaining daily and seasonal thermostat set points, scheduling professional maintenance and repairs, etc. Check out our environment-friendly All Year HVAC services or call us at 916-922-7796.

How to stay cool in hot weather?

Here, we list some tried-and-tested ways to help homeowners keep their rooms cool despite the rising temperatures outside.

Avoid heat-generating activities during the day

Some activities generate a lot of heat that can cause excessive heat to build up in your home, further aggravating the sweltering heat of the summer. Examples include cooking, baking and using a clothes dryer.

If possible, cook less, use a microwave to heat food (rather than your stovetop), and prepare your main course outdoors on the barbecue grill. The idea here is to prevent or at least limit the amount of heat inside your home.

Other things you may want to consider to prevent heat build-up:

Hang to air-dry your clothes outside.
Wash dishes by hand or limit your use of a dishwasher (you may not be aware of it, but this appliance generates a lot of heat).
Try doing heat-generating activities until after dark when it’s cooler outside.
Use a bathroom exhaust fan to remove excess heat and humidity that you generate when bathing or showering.

Be smart with your windows

Did you know that around 70% of the sunlight that shines through a standard double-pane window that enters your home becomes heat? That’s why you need to fix broken or leaky windows, install a heat-reducing film or use windows with a special coating to conserve energy and keep your home cool during summer.

You can also use roller blinds, thick curtains and external window shading to block out the heat. Light reflective blinds are particularly helpful because they can prevent heat gain by up to 45%.

Another thing to keep in mind: You should always close your windows when it’s cooler inside than outside. While some people think that flinging them wide might invite some cool breeze, in most cases, it only brings warm air inside the room.

Be smart with your cooling system

First things first: Opt for AC units with an energy-efficient label. At All Year, we offer environment-friendly air conditioning services, from installing properly sized units to annual maintenance to keep them functioning at their best (without consuming too much energy).

To further conserve energy, partner your HVAC system with a programmable thermostat, which allows you to set it beforehand, so it automatically adjusts your home’s temperature based on factors such as daily occupancy patterns. With this simple gadget, you won’t waste energy running your AC in an empty room.

Another simple hack is to use your ceiling fan when your AC is on, which in turn helps disperse the cool air more efficiently.

Final Word on Energy Saving Tips for the Summer

With these tips, you don’t need to invest in fancy gadgets or expensive major home improvements just to keep you and your family cool during the hottest months of the year.

To learn more about HVAC services and environment-friendly and affordable home improvements like solar installation and whole house fans, visit All Year or call us at 916-922-7796.