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Tips for cooling off this summer
With summer here, there are many ways to keep the temperature tolerable while saving money and the environment.
Thu, May 13 2010 at 3:33 PM
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AH, RELIEF: Portable fans can help move your body heat away from you. (Photo: Jupiterimages)
With summer officially around the corner and temperatures edging higher, we've put together a giant list of ways to keep your cool.
We'll start with a quick apology to our readers in the Southern Hemisphere: We know you're there. Bookmark this and read it again in six months — but you'll find some general energy tips here that work as well during the winter as they do all summer long.
Energy isn't cheap, and power generation means more toxins and greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. So keep yourself cool while saving money — and the environment!
The little things
This set of ideas costs nothing to implement. Most are just a matter of thoughtful energy habits. Since none of these involve capital improvements, they're renter-friendly.
• Set your thermostat to 78. Go higher, if the humidity is low enough and you feel comfortable. Turning a thermostat down to cool a room quicker doesn't work, by the way — it makes the A/C run longer, not colder.
• Wear short-sleeved, loose clothing. You dress lightly to go out on a summer day. Do the same indoors. Absorbent, wickable cotton is the hot weather classic.
• Drink lots of water. This is good practice, anyway. Cold drinks lower your body's core temperature and cool you down quickly.
• Draw your drapes. Keeping your blinds, shades and curtains closed — particularly on the west side of the house — a practice that helps keeps heat from getting inside in the first place.
• Turn off unnecessary heat-producing devices. Incandescent light bulbs are a big heat generator. Shut down electronic gear when you're not using it.
• Use the microwave. Conventional cooking dumps heat in the house, but microwaves cook the food directly.
• Wash and dry clothes when the day is cool. Do laundry early in the day and late at night. Don't forget clotheslines: they generate no heat in the house.
• Skip your dishwasher's dry cycle. Rack your dishes and let them air dry instead.
• Open the bathroom window when showering. Vent heat and humidity outside, rather than back into the house. Obviously, you don't want to put on a show for the neighbors. If you have privacy concerns, open up the window after dressing. Keep the bathroom door closed.
• Run your air conditioner fan on low. This is particularly helpful in areas with high summer humidity. The low air volume helps your A/C dehumidify.
• Keep heat-producers away from your thermostat. Don't allow a closely located TV or water heater to convince your thermostat that it's hotter than it really is.
• Check your refrigerator settings. The fridge takes heat out of your food and transfers it to your kitchen, so be sure you're running it efficiently. The refrigerator works best when set between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the freezer around 5 degrees.
• Turn off your furnace pilot light. You can always re-light it next autumn.
• Close the fireplace damper. Don't send cool air up the chimney. If your fireplace has a glass door, shut it.
Small projects
These are all relatively inexpensive things you can do to keep your cooling costs and summertime energy use down. Most will pay off in savings from season to season.
• Install ceiling fans. If you're a mammal, you're surrounded by a small envelope of body heat. Fans move this heat away from you and provide evaporative cooling as you sweat. If you choose fans with lights, look for the kind with dedicated (pin-type) CFLs. It's also smart to have a few portable fans you can move around the house.
• Replace your air-conditioning filters. Clean filters in window units. You should do this every month, so keep a stock of filters on hand.
• Buy a dehumidifier. EnergyStar says a 40-pint unit will save up to $20 a year and last up to a decade. Moderating your home's humidity — in addition to making you feel cooler — will reduce musty smells and the growth of harmful molds.
• Shade your air conditioner. If your A/C is in full sun, it's working harder than it needs to. Don't obstruct the air flow.
• Have your air conditioner serviced. Coolant levels should be checked every year. A professional also will clean and lubricate the system. Without annual service, your air conditioner will lose about 5 percent efficiency each year — more if the coolant is low. Use Puron or some other non-CFC coolant, rather than environmentally harmful Freon.
• Check your weather stripping. Caulk leaky window frames, while you're at it. This also will suppress drafts in the winter. If you have a window-mounted air conditioner, be sure the accordion seal is tight. Add rubber gaskets to wall and light switches to make sure the wall is sealed.
• Insulate interior hot water pipes. There's no point in heating your room air along with the water. If it's indoors, wrap your electric hot water heater with an approved insulator. Gas heaters should be insulated by professionals.
The big stuff
Here are some big-ticket items appropriate for homeowners committed to long-term energy savings. The more you do, the more you save!
• Upgrade your attic insulation. Most experts recommend 10-17 inches of R38. You have a lot of options in this area, so it pays to consult with a professional.
• Improve attic ventilation. It can get up to 140 degrees in your attic during the summer. Adding an electric fan or wind turbines will move some of this unwanted heat away from your living space.
• Plant deciduous trees on the west side of your home. You're looking for fast-growing shade trees to keep the hottest part of your house cool during the summer months. They'll lose their leaves each autumn, letting sunshine through once it turns cool. Opt for lightweight trees in areas prone to hurricanes and winter ice storms.
• Replace gas appliances with efficient electric units. Pilot lights contribute to indoor heating, and electric prices are generally more stable than natural gas.
• Replace older windows with new, energy-efficient units. The U.S. Department of Energy says this is the best bet for improving year-round home energy efficiency. Modern units feature advanced coatings to keep cooling and heat where you want it. If you're on a tight budget, consider interior or exterior storm windows to beef-up your current installation.
• Upgrade older air conditioners. Another expensive item, but cooling can account for half of your summer energy bill. You're looking for a unit with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ration (SEER) of 13 or more. The best deals are obviously found off-season, but this is one investment that will immediately return savings.
Now it's your turn. Got any tips on staying cool through the summer months? Big or small, please share them in our comments section!
Also on MNN: 7 ways to live a more sustainable life
Copyright Lighter Footstep 2008
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I line up ice cubes in a dish towel, secure the ends with elastics and wear it aroung my neck when I'm working outside. Works great!
Close the chimney to keep cool air from rising out of the house? That is nonsense. Cool air does not rise, hot air does. Simple physics.
make sure and keep filters clean and in place so you get all you pay for from the A/C. I work in a controlled environment that stays about 70-74 degsF. It is tough to leave and try to go to bed when it's 80 in the house.
It's not high tech, but it works and is cheap. Electricity is expensive in Nevada. I paid $400/month last summer to keep our home at 72. This month, my bill was $128. Yes, our home is warmer. When its 105 outside, I can only keep the house at 78. Not only is the savings significiant, but the humidity is a bonus. When you live in an area than can have 0% humidity, the moist air from the evaporative cooler is a blessing.
Um... really? Electric prices are more stable than gas? (But, are they lower in your area?)
Replace a gas range? Why?
They actually do NOT all have pilot lights. If they do have pilot lights, then a change will eliminate a possible source of indoor carbon monoxide and extra heat.
Definitely only touching the top of the cake with these tips, but a great way to start off the summer for sure! Plus, once you do these things enough times they become habit instead of a pain :)
Nearly all these tips are for homeowners. They're useless to someone like me, who lives on the top floor of a rental tenement. As for organic cotton clothing, cotton isn't cool. If you want to stay cool in summer, and warm in winter, wear knitted silk. Yes, I know it's not vegan, so not everyone will wear it, but it's much better at wicking moisture away from the body than cotton.
Some good ideas in here! http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/stories/20-ways-for-rent...
Would like to highlight attic ventilation, especially with a Solar Attic fan, but please have it professionally installed with a leak guarantee. Also a reflective roof coating where it is applicable. And one of the cheapest ways of cooling is having the doors open with screen doors installed. Small window fans help with air movement but will increase the electric bill.
I can remember when we got our first A/C. The days before the A/C, we used box fans, window fans and about anything else that would move the 98+ deg.F air around. Didn't know what we were missing and now can't seem to live without it. There were times living in a single wide trailer that were unbearable without A/C but we made it just the same. Many people are not what they used to be in many places.
I purchased cellular shades because we live in New England and spend a lot on heat during fall, winter & spring. I was so pleased to find they worked just as well in the summer to keep the heat out! I only used my AC one day last year. My experience with CellularWindowShades.com was excellent and they are high quality!
I meant to say, most vinyl windows off gas rather than NO vinyl windows off gas.
No vinyl windows off gas. Old wood ones don't. Trashing old painted windows generates lead dust when you remove them if your house is older than 1978. Reglazed and weatherstripped old windows especially with wooden storm windows can be as efficient as new ones. Consider the waste fill of old windows. Now that's not green. If you end up deciding to do so, donate them to Habitat for Humanity or a Recycle/Rebuild facility.
Just had my windows redone, house is 90 years old, no lead paint. The argon gas filled double pane windows are substantially more efficient than the ones I replaced. I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about....
Well most of these suggestions are useless to me. I don't have an air conditioner nor a pilot light nor a dish washer, thermostat, fireplace,, clothes dryer,
All grammar aside, I'd like to see MNN investigate the gas appliances vs. electric appliances issue. Perhaps another post would be good. I've found gas appliances to be more energy efficient than electric, even with a pilot light and the potential price changes for natural gas.
I must agree with the window advice. In our old Victorian home, window replacement was worth every penny. We bought custom windows for our old Victorian home, and the insulation value is tremendous all year.
Dry ice works well as a cool media.
Take anti-freeze in a bucket, add the dry ice, place inside a milk crate, and put a box fan on top of the milk crate blowing down. The Carbon Dioxide won't have time to build up to harmful levels, and your house will stay cooler.
Please concentrate and comment on the subject and stop insulting people who have a diferent oppinion as your's. That's democracy
I thought this was about cooling down in the summer, not grammar lessons...
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