Anyone remember the days before central air was commonplace in our homes? As a small child, I remember the thrill of having our meals in the cool basement because it was too hot in our kitchen. This seemed like a great adventure at the time – almost like picnicking or camping out. Going back to yesteryear and adopting some simple, natural ways to cool your home may not seem very adventuresome, but it can save you some green and it’s also a greener way to live. Here are five ways to help cool those kilowatts:

 

Lighten the Load - Did your parents always remind you to turn off the lights when you left a room? Turns out they were right - incandescent lighting gives off a ton of heat. Now is a good time to update to LEDs or CFLs if you have not already. Also unplug your electronics when you’re not using them.

 

Be a fan of fans - Using stationary, ceiling and whole-house fans is one of the greenest ways to keep your cool in the summer. They use less energy than central air and window units, are less expensive to install and best of all, can dramatically lower utility bills by reducing the need to rely on air conditioning. I have a whole house fan in my home and ceiling fans in all the bedrooms and using them efficiently is an amazing energy saver.

 

Dial up Your Thermostat - According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, for each degree you raise your thermostat, you’ll save 3 to 5 percent in cooling costs. If you do not have a programmable thermostat already, remember to turn up the dial a few degrees when you leave your home for an extended period of time. Replacing the air filter on your HVAC unit monthly is an inexpensive way to save a few dollars too.

 

Green Up Your Landscaping - A landscape designed to properly shade a home can reduce air-conditioning bills by 15 to 50 percent. Join  us on Thursday, July 19 for the Green Landscape Makeover program and get helpful tips on how to update your landscape in a more eco-friendly manner.  Here's a guide to landscaping for improved energy efficiency in “Plant Your Way to Energy Savings: Landscaping for Energy Efficiency.”

 

Visit the Library. It’s air conditioned and you can check out all of the summer activities happening at AHML.

Read more about keeping your cool here.  Do you have some good suggestions for staying cool during the dog days of summer? Share them with us here or on our Facebook page.