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Stay cool and save money on A/C From delaying your chores to changing the lightbulbs, here are some surprising ways to help you stay cool this summer without having to crank up the air conditioning. 9 WAYS TO CUT DOWN ON A/C USE 1. Use your A/C wisely. Installing an air conditioner in a shady spot could increase its efficiency up to 10 percent, according to the DOE. Our latest tests of window-mounted air conditioners found CR Best Buys that cost as little as $240 for a large one. Energy Star-qualified models use about 25 percent less power than ones made before late 2000. Don't lower the air conditioner's temperature when you turn it on. It won't cool the room any faster, but it will use more energy. On humid days, set the fan speed on low to remove more moisture from the air. 2. Delay the chores. Your dishwasher, washer, and dryer give off heat when they're in use, so run them in the early morning or late evening. Your air conditioner won't have to work as hard to offset the heat produced by the appliances. Other benefits: Running those appliances during off-peak hours reduces the stress on the power grid, helping to prevent brownouts. You might also pay less for the electricity if your utility charges less per kilowatt-hour during nonpeak hours. 3. Change the lightbulbs. Much of the energy used by incandescent bulbs is emitted as heat. During the day, turn off lights that are unnecessary. Also consider replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs. They use about 75 percent less energy and give off 75 percent less heat to produce the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs. Switching from a 100-watt incandescent bulb to a 25-watt CFL can save you as much energy a year as switching from a standard air-conditioner to an Energy Star model. 4. Make some shade. Awnings, shades, and blinds keep sunlight from entering your home, especially useful in west-facing windows in the afternoon. Install them on windows, skylights, and doors that get a lot of sun. 5. Use fans. When the outside air is cooler than that inside your home, fans can come in handy. Vent fans draw in the cool air and exhaust the hot air. Window fans are inexpensive to operate and easy to install. To boost the chimney effect, in which warm air rises and vents naturally, place one blowing in on the ground floor, and another one blowing out on the floor above. To keep your air conditioner from fighting heat from the attic, install an attic fan controlled by a thermostat; it will turn on automatically when the attic temperature reaches a certain point. A whole-house fan can do the work of an air conditioner using much less electricity. This thermostatically controlled fan turns on in the evening and off in the early morning. It exhausts hot attic air and draws in cool outside air from open windows throughout the house, lowering the temperature inside the house by 3º to 6º F at night. 6. Maintain your air conditioner(s). Dirty, clogged filters increase an air conditioner's energy use. Vacuum dust and debris from inside a window unit before you install it. Clean the filter on window and central air conditioners monthly or as needed by vacuuming and washing. Some filters need to be replaced. Clear debris from outside louvers and coils. Keep plantings at least 2 feet from the condenser. For more information, read "Cool runnings." 7. "Summerize" your home. Adding insulation and sealing air leaks help keep you comfortable year-round and can also lower your energy bills by hundreds of dollars a year. Start by insulating the attic or adding to the insulation already there, then insulate ducts in unconditioned space. 8. Plant trees. Well-placed trees can reduce the energy a home uses for cooling by up to 25 percent, according to the DOE. Deciduous trees (those that drop their leaves in fall) help the most by blocking the summer sun, yet they allow the winter sun to warm your home. Evergreen trees and shrubs offer year-round shade and block winds, which reduces heating costs. Plant trees on the northeast-southeast and northwest-southwest sides of your home; do not plant directly to the south, unless you live in an area where it is always hot. Ideally, plant at a distance from the house that is equal to two to five times the height of the mature trees. To increase the efficiency of your air-conditioning unit by up to 10 percent, plant trees and shrubs to shade the outside unit; place them at least 18 inches away so they don't block the vents on the compressor. For more tips on ways to use landscaping to increase the energy efficiency of your home, see the DOE's landscaping advice. 9. Reconsider the roofing. More than 90 percent of the roofs in this country are dark; on a hot, sunny day, dark-colored roofs can heat up to 150º to 190º F, roasting the living spaces below. Consider adding a reflective coating to a dark roof, or when it's time to replace it, choose a lighter color, which will reflect most of the heat away from your home. Homes in the north won't benefit as much as those in warmer climates, according to the National Roofing Contractors Association. To find out how much carbon dioxide (CO2) your air conditioner choices can save and why it matters, visit our Global Warming Solutions Center. RELATED LINKS: Air conditioners: Green buying guide 7/08 20 free ways to save energy 4/07 Consumer Reports complete air conditioners guide (full report available to subscribers) |