With much of Canada and the US experiencing a summer heat wave, everyone's thinking about cooling off. I'm in Los Angeles visiting my best friend and it reached 102 degrees today! I'm going to need a bath full of ice cubes to cool me off. While the modern office, and 84% of U.S. homes use air conditioners, we can all save money by using them less; after all, the typical U.S. home spends 17% of its annual energy bill on cooling – about $375. I don’t think those numbers are as high in Vancouver as most homes don’t have air conditioners, they resort to cold showers and iced coffees to cool them off!
We can all save energy, too, which on the hottest summer days can have an immediate payoff: avoiding an electricity blackout caused by an overloaded power grid.
Here are the easiest, cheapest tips you can do right now to cool off – and then recommend some home improvements that can help keep your home cooler in the years to come, and tack on some tips for those of us with air conditioners we'd like to pay less to run or replace. And remember – even if you have and use an air conditioner, these tips can help you reduce your need for it, saving both energy and money.
1. Close your windows
It may seem counter intuitive, but opening the windows will often make your home warmer, not cooler. Open your windows at night if the air outside is cooler than inside, and close them – along with blinds and shades – before the sun hits your house in the morning. This will allow cool night air to circulate, and prevent a good deal of the sun's heat from reaching indoors. You may also put houseplants – particularly larger potted trees – in front of sunny windows to absorb some of the sun's energy.
2. Use fans strategically
Here are three ways fans can help:
Ceiling fans can create a pleasant breeze to cool a room significantly. Be sure that you have the fan running in the right direction since ceiling fans can also be used in winter to create an updraft: in the summer, you should feel the breeze blowing down. And remember, ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so turn it off when you leave the room. If you're buying new ceiling fans, make sure you buy Energy Star ceiling fans that use 50% less energy than comparable models – a choice that will pay off in the long run, as you can appreciate the longer you keep your fan running.
Stand-alone fans placed directly in front of you, it's no surprise, help keep you cool. Add in a spritz bottle and you can dramatically change your temperature; as the water evaporates off your skin, your body sheds heat.
A DIY wind tunnel is the third option; if there's a cool breeze, particularly at night, set one fan facing in on the side of your home facing the wind, and another facing out on the opposite end of the house. You'll maximize the cooling power of a natural breeze.
3. Cook (or don't) a cool meal
Just as drinking a nice cold cocktail cools your body, eating cold food helps keep your internal temperature lower on a hot day. One great option: Watermelon and Cherry Salad with Fresh Mint Syrup. If you do cook, use the grill or the microwave, or else you'll heat up your kitchen from using the oven and stove.
4. Shut off the lights
While modern lightning, like compact fluorescents and LEDs, are more efficient, incandescent light bulbs can produce as much heat as they do light. Energy Star-rated light bulbs produce 75% less heat, so consider that when replacing bulbs. It's always a good idea to shut off lights to save energy, it makes a big difference on hot sunny summer days. The same goes for many electronics, so consider unplugging any device that isn't needed (even in standby mode, many electronics remain hot).
5. Go for a swim or take a cold shower
It may sound obvious, but it's worth saying: If you're hot, cool it off by immersing yourself in cold water. The immediate refreshment works immediately by cooling your core temperature. And unless there's 100% humidity, the evaporation of water off your skin will further cool you. For a short cut, use water and ice cubes to keep your wrists cool; since your blood vessels are so close the skin there, you'll feel cooler by applying cold directly to your blood.
6. Plant a tree (or two or three) strategically
Your house gets hot because the sun beats down on it relentless on hot summer days. Let nature help reduce your energy bills by planting deciduous trees on the east and west sides of your home; in the summer, their broad leaves will shade your house, while in the winter, bare branches won't stop the sun's warmth from reaching your walls. Also consider planting trees or shrubs to shade high-heat areas – air conditioning units that emit heat, for instance, and driveways and walkways that absorb it.
7. Install attic insulation
While attic fans may not help significantly to cool your home, attic insulation can help a lot. Insulation keeps cooler air in your home from escaping through the ceiling. If you have central air, also seal ducts – especially at vents and registers, where you could be losing up to 20% of you cooled air.
8. Install awnings
Just as window shades and shrubbery work to shield your home from the sun's rays, awnings can cut down on the heat your house absorbs. This is an investment to make if you like the look.
5 Ways to Save Money and Energy on Air Conditioning
So you already have an air conditioner, or you're planning to buy one... Save money and energy with the previous eight tips (after all, they'll help you use your AC less) plus these five maintenance and buying tips:
1. Adjust the thermostat
If you have central air controlled by a thermostat, program it to save energy by increasing the heat significantly during the day when the house is empty, and give up a couple degrees at night, too – especially on the hottest days. You may be surprised to find that the contrast between outdoor and indoor temperatures matters as much as the absolute temperature inside your home.
2. Clean the air filter
Whether you have central air or a room air conditioner, a dirty filter will reduce its efficiency, making it use more energy and cost more money to do the same job. Check your HVAC system's air filter monthly and expect to change the filter every three months.
3. Get an annual checkup
If you have central air, consider an annual checkup – once should cover both the heating and the cooling season. A professional should be able to diagnose any inefficiencies before you've wasted money on monthly heating and cooling bills.
4. Think small
Cooling one room with a window air conditioning unit requires much less energy (and investment) than a central air system. Ask yourself how you'll use your new air conditioner, and choose the smallest option that works.
5. Buy Energy Star
Whether you're buying a central air conditioner or a room unit, efficiency matters. An Energy Star central air system will use about 14% less energy than minimum government standards, and a room air conditioner will save at least 10%. Use the Energy Star Website before making a purchase, because while the vast majority of the 1,000-plus qualifying room units use 90% of the energy of a standard model, some are clearly a better value, using as little as 50%. These nine models use 75% of a typical unit, or less:
Turbo Air - TAS-09EH
Turbo Air - TAS-12EH
Turbo Air - TAS-18EH
Unionaire - RAC20A6HR
Friedrich - YS09L10
Unionaire - RAC24A6HR
Friedrich - YS10M10
Unionaire - RAC20A6CR
Unionaire - RAC20A6ER
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