Photo by NRECA
Q: My family is trying to use less air conditioning this summer to save electricity. Do you have any tips to help us feel comfortable in our home?
A: You can easily make free or low-cost improvements and simple lifestyle changes to reduce the amount of air conditioning your home needs. Initially, your family may feel a bit less comfortable, but you can grow accustomed to the changes quickly.
The simplest method for running the air conditioner less often is to set your thermostat a few degrees higher. The savings should be from 1 to 3 percent for each degree you raise it.
There’s a limit, of course, to how high you can raise your thermostat without becoming too uncomfortable or instigating a family rebellion. Some other ways to minimize air conditioning are to reduce the amount of heat coming into your home, reduce the amount of heat generated inside your house, control humidity levels, increase indoor air movement, and use natural ventilation.
You’ll feel cooler if you avoid sitting near a sun-exposed wall or window on sunny afternoons. Wall insulation is effective for blocking conductive heat gain, but not for radiant heat. When the outside wall gets hot in the sun, particularly a brick or masonry wall, radiant heat comes right through the wall to your skin. It can make you feel a couple of degrees warmer than the actual air temperature in the room. Window and door awnings can help block direct sunlight.
Energy-efficiency improvements like caulking, weather stripping and insulating are usually made to reduce heat loss during winter. But they also reduce heat gain during summer. Check the insulation in your attic for voids or thin areas where it may have loosened or blown around. Make sure attic vents are not blocked by the insulation.
The heat generated in your home from cooking, bathing and running electric appliances makes the air conditioner work harder to remove the additional heat. When cooking or bathing, run the range hood or bath exhaust fan to remove the extra heat and moisture.
During the summer, use countertop cooking appliances, such as slow cookers, in the garage or outside to reduce the heat and humidity they generate indoors. You can also unplug phone and computer chargers and other electrical items when they are not being used. Even though each device uses a small amount of electricity, they generate heat, which can add up quickly.
Wash dishes and clothes at night; avoid washing in the afternoons, during peak heat. The heat from hot water and appliance motors will stress your air conditioner less at night. This also reduces the peak electricity demand for your utility provider.
Ceiling fans can help you stay comfortable at a higher indoor temperature. The moving air increases evaporative cooling from your skin when you are in the room with the fan on. The fan’s electric motor, however, actually heats the room air, so turn it off when the room is unoccupied.
Set the ceiling fan on medium to high speed. For summer, make sure the rotation switch is set to blow the air downward.
When it’s breezy outside but not too hot, open some windows. Widely open several windows on the downwind side of your home, and slightly open windows on the windward side. The pressure difference will cause the air to blow in the partially opened windows much faster, creating a breeze in that room, using no electricity.
A whole-house ventilation fan, often located in a hall ceiling, can draw huge amounts of air through your house. When the air is not excessively humid, run the fan at night. This can cool down the entire house and delay the need for air conditioning in the morning.
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