Stay cool and save energy

Home Energy-Saving Tips cut utility bills and carbon footprint with eco-friendly actions: power strips, window insulation, HVAC filter care, shaded AC placement, CFL bulbs, natural light use, and smart thermostat habits.

As we sweat through summer's hottest months, many of us are tempted to crank up the AC and cast off the prospect of saving energy until the heat wave passes by. However, maintaining a green-friendly home during seasonal peaks and lows is not as difficult as it seems.

Try a few of these simple tips to help you save money while helping the environment too.

DO:

Use a power strip. These can be used for more than just your computer - try them with your TV, DVD player and appliances. Turn everything off with one simple click and prevent these electronics from sucking up energy when not in use, an issue underscored by Britain energy waste research across households.

Add insulation to your windows. Up to half of a home's heating and cooling energy is lost through windows. Some kinds of honeycomb shades offer one solution for energy-efficient windows, and exploring better ways to cool can further reduce energy use at home.

Service and clean your mechanical systems. Keep your heating and air-conditioning filters clean and replace fiberglass filters with reusable, washable ones.

Monitor your air-conditioning units. AC units in the shade use as much as 10 percent less electricity than ones placed in the sun, and using a ceiling fan can reduce dependence on AC further. Also, when summer is over, stow away your air conditioner or use an insulated jacket to prevent drafts from sneaking through the units and into your home.

Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs CFLs. Sure, they cost a little more, but they last almost 10 times longer and use two-thirds less energy.

Use natural light. Turn off lights and electronics when they're not needed. Also, take advantage of natural sunlight as much as possible.

DON'T:

Place lamps or TVs near your thermostat. The thermostat picks up the heat from these appliances, and as Britons' energy waste demonstrates in recent studies, small inefficiencies add up quickly in households, making the run-time of your air conditioner longer than necessary.

Do not try to speed up cooling. Setting your air conditioner to a cooler setting will not cool down your home any quicker, and wasteful air conditioning can add about $200 to summer energy bills according to utility reports. It actually takes the same time for the temperature to reach a desired condition whether the thermostat is set at 70 degrees or 60 degrees.

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