Summer Energy saving tips

As summer approaches we all stop worrying about the high cost of heating our homes and start worrying about the cost of cooling our homes.

So here are some tips to help keep those costs down.

• Programmable thermometers: Installing a programmable thermometer to let the temperature rise during the day when you are gone and begin cooling it again shortly before you get home.  Do you really care if your house is 5-10 degrees hotter while you are gone?
• Use Fans: If you don’t have central air of some sort, and are using a window unit to cool your domicile, use fans to help push the air into your house.  Doing so can help the air conditioner work less often and make your entire house more comfortable.
• Maintenance:  Make sure your Air Conditioner isn’t low on refrigerant.  Clean out the fan unit outside your house, making sure that all leaves and debris are removed.
• Do a Curtain Call:  Try to close your blinds and shades during the day to prevent the sun from making your windows into instant-greenhouse windows.
• Insulate:  Sounds funny to talk about insulation when it’s hot out, but having the recommended 1 foot of insulation in your attic can keep a lot of the cool air in and the hot air out.  It also pays to make sure that you don’t have any major drafts that could let the cool air escape.  Adding insulation may be eligible for a tax credit!

I’ve heard rumor of a $30 rebate for a programmable thermometer, but I don’t seem to be able to find any info on it.  There are several things on this list that I still need to do, as my house is nearly 50 years old and needs a little TLC.  The winter isn’t the only time to worry about energy costs.  Fuel prices tend to dip right before summer and during the fall and peak during winter and summer months.

[tags]Energy, energy savings, hot, thermometer, save[/tags]