Manage Your Life
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
10 ways to cut your cooling costs
user
Temperatures are on the rise,
and so are electricity and fuel costs, making it harder to keep our
cool. That doesn't mean your home has to become unbearably hot,
though. Here are 10 ways to reduce your cooling costs this
summer.
- Use a programmable thermostat to adjust
the temperature automatically when you're not home. According
to the folks at Energy Star, the average U.S. household spends
about $1,100 heating and cooling costs. A properly set programmable
thermostat can save about $180 a year. (Not sure how to set
yours? Here are some guidelines.)
- Set the air conditioning to kick in at 80 degrees
instead of 78 degrees (or even higher, if you can stand
it). That tiny two-degree difference can shave 2 to 6 percent off
of your electricity bill, depending on the size of your home and
how long you keep the AC on.
- Seal off AC ducts in unused rooms so you
don't spend money cooling them. Why keep the guest room at a
comfy 80 degrees -- I mean 78 degrees -- if no one's
there?
- Don't use the AC at all. Fans use less
energy than air conditioning units; they keep you cool by moving
the air around, though they don't actually change the
temperature in the room. If you can't bear to live without air
conditioning, consider using a fan at the same time so you'll
feel comfortable even with the AC set at a higher temperature.
- Draw the curtains and blinds on your south, east, and
west windows to keep sunlight from warming the rooms
during the day. If you still want the light, but are worried about
the heat, try applying heat-control window film to the glass -- it
blocks UV rays and reflects back much of the heat.
- Wash clothes in cold water. If you're
still worried about germs, use warm water for the wash and switch
the rinse water to cold -- you'll save up to 4 percent on your
energy bill, and your clothes will be just as clean. If you have
the space and the time, try hanging your clothes up to dry instead
of using the drier -- it'll lop another 5 percent or so off
your bill.
- Cook outdoors on the grill (or opt for salads
and don't cook at all) to keep the heat out of the kitchen.
Can't cook outside? Cook in the microwave; it uses about 65
percent less energy than your stove. (Still not sure what to make?
Here are a few easy summer recipes that won't leave your
roasting in the kitchen.)
- Upgrade to more-efficient appliances. It costs
more now, but you'll save money over time.
- Plant trees to shade your house (and your AC
unit). According to researchers at Colorado State University, a tree in full leaf
can block 70 to 90 percent of solar radiation. You can also plant
trees and shrubs to create a wind-tunnel effect, channeling breezes
into your house.
- Take a shower using a minty body wash (Dr.
Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Soap is a classic) to make warm
air feel like a cool breeze on your skin. OK, fine, you can't
necessarily jump in the shower several times a day. Try holding an
ice pack to the back of your neck; it lowers your body temperature
by cooling the blood as it pumps through your carotid
arteries.
How are you keeping cool this summer? Share your tips in
the comments!
Lylah M. Alphonse writes about juggling career and
parenthood at The 36-Hour Day
and Work It, Mom!,
and blogs at Write. Edit.
Repeat.
Related: summer, saving money, lylah alphonse, heat, cooling costs, budget
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Posted by Diane Rixon Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:40pm PDT
Here's a trick I discovered in my pitiful grad school days, when I survived Chicago heat waves with NO AC! It was awful, but I found combing plenty of water through my hair every so often really cooled me down. Your hair can hold a LOT more cooling water and takes much longer to evaporate than water on your bare skin.
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Posted by who me? Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:47pm PDT
sitting a bowl of ice in front of a fan makes it feel like air conditioning!
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Posted by Teresa Smith Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:51pm PDT
I have 1205 sq ft in a mobil home in Texas. I keep the thermostat at 85 degrees. I don't use two rooms and have the vents blocked, ceiling fans are non stop, floor fans also move air around. I make sure the a/c is at 90 when I leave for the day, with the fans blowing it isn't half bad. July bill $127.00.
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Posted by Kenneth Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:05pm PDT
What I do is turn my furnace fan on for about 10 or 15 min.to drawl out the cool air from the basement just before I go to bed.
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Posted by Milton R Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:55am PDT
Get a good JOB so you can afford to be COMFORTABLE! For CRYING out LOUD!
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Posted by siri Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:16am PDT
I put a fan on during the morning hours and the a.c. is for late afternoon depending on how "hot" it gets and during sleep hours. Where I live on a top floor windows facing direct sunlight from 2:00pm till 8:00pm it becomes sweltering. I draw my shades and curtains in the afternoon hours when the sun starts to pour in. It does help as well as do all my chores in the morning hours.
Milton~ Lol, many of us are unemployed living on a single income not by choice btw... Those fortunate to be working need to watch their spending because nothing is secure at this point in time. Conserving doesn't mean - we can't or choose to roast and find alternative ways to keep cool. For me and I believe others it means saving money - no one knows for certain what tomorrow might bring. I'd rather be comfortable knowing I have some money saved for other more important necessities (like shelter and food.) Btw... If our ancestors did it so can we.
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Posted by Apostle D Tyler Brown Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:35am PDT
Well, well, well...sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's not. I just try to do what I can every day to be comfortable. Join "The King of Glory Movement" as we seek to evangelize the world, one soul at a time. It could be eternally hot when you have no salvation in Jesus Christ. Go to: http://txevangelism.ning.com and catch the wave...
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Posted by yaya Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:10am PDT
thanks for these tips! You're never too rich to save money! Unless of course youre Bill Gates or something.
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Posted by pendragonnPink Wed Jul 29, 2009 1:35pm PDT
78 is comfortable? No way. Our AC stays at 69 when we are home, and I set it to 80 when we are at work and leave our fans on.
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Posted by Andygirl Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:01pm PDT
I live in a place that gets to 110 on summer days. SO, on days when event the AC isn't enough, I fill the tub with cold water, put my feet in (my whole body is too much!), and dip my wrists in too and it works like a charm to cool me down. if you cool off your pressure points, it cools your whole body.
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