Energy Conservation Ideas

Spring and summer are right around the corner and with green living in the spotlight now more than ever it’s easy to get caught up in the little things we can do for practical energy conservation. The change in season is a great way to develop trouble-free habits, which can dramatically affect your contribution to the environment and cut down on some of those darn cooling bills.

• Use heat-generating appliances such as washers, dryers or ovens during the cooler hours of the morning or evening. This reduces the load on your air conditioner.
• Use an exhaust fan to pull excess heat and humidity out of the kitchen and bathroom.
• Keep drapes and curtains closed in the sunny areas of the house to keep cool.
• Set the thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. This is considered the standard cooling setting for this time of year.
• Ceiling fans can save energy during the summer time if used correctly. For starters, blades should revolve in a counterclockwise direction. This is so that air movement can travel downward and blow moving air to create a wind chill effect. Using ceiling fans in the summer also allows you to raise the thermostat temperature, reducing the workload of your air conditioner – which uses significantly more energy than a ceiling fan.