Tue, June 23, 2009
Saving on the Cost of Keeping Cool This Summer
Although early summer in the Boston area has been unseasonably cool, it probably won’t stay that way. Coupled with some of the highest electrical rates in the nation, warm weather provides plenty of motivation for energy conservation. Here are some suggestions for cutting your electric bill during the summer.
The Boston Business Journal provided the gloomy news that utility bills in the Bay State are likely to increase 5-6% next year, partly as a result of the Green Communities Act and partly as a consequence of rate increases being sought by utility companies.
Here are seven ways to blunt the impact of higher rates and higher temperatures:
Smart cooking
Traditional New England homes featured kitchens built away from the main living area so that occupants could put some distance between themselves and the heat of cooking during hot summer months. Avoid using your stove, or if you must use it, cook near the end of the day. Summer is the perfect time to use microwave recipes, grill, or prepare dishes like gazpacho, tuna salad, and other foods that don’t require heating up the indoors. Consider preparing some slow-cooker meals overnight.
Mind the gaps
Seal leaky windows and doors; this helps keep cool air inside in the summer (and outside in the winter).
Ceiling Fans
Install ceiling fans in rooms that you use frequently. Blowing the air downwards will allow your family to stay comfortable at higher temperatures. Remember, though, that fans cool people, not rooms; turn off the fan when no one is around to enjoy it.
Use natural air conditioning
When evenings are expected to be cool, open windows to promote circulation throughout the house, then close them in the morning before things heat up outside.
Reduce heat gain from windows
If you have windows on the sunny side of the street, close their blinds and draperies during the heat of the day. Be sure to give attention to west-facing windows, which can heat up significantly in the afternoon. Awnings are another way to keep the sun from heating up your home in the summer.
Give your computers some rest
Turn off or “sleep” your computers when they’re not in use. This saves electricity and reduces your home’s internal heat load.
Use the AC wisely
Make optimum use of air conditioning. For maximum efficiency, avoid putting room air conditioners in sunny windows. Set the air conditioning at the highest temperature that your family can tolerate, and remember to clean air filters at least monthly.
