Often when the weather warms up, air conditioners get turned on, and our electricity bills go up. There are ways to help keep your house cool without solely relying on the air conditioner, which could help keep more money in your pocket.
Appliances
Cut back on your use of appliances (particularly the oven and range), reduce your use of hot water, and keep as many lights off as comfortable to help lower the level of heat in your house. Also, avoid unnecessary trips in and out of the house, especially on the hottest days. Heat and humidity come in each time you open the door.
Home Improvements
Improvements to your home can also help prevent the outside heat from having as much of an effect inside your home. Adding attic insulation so that it measures at least a foot thick will help keep the heat at bay. Also, installing a light-colored roof allows more heat to be reflected. For windows that receive direct sunlight, sun-blocking window treatments and awnings help keep the heat outside from having as much of an effect on the temperature inside your home.
Ventilate
Ventilate the attic. When the outside temperature is in the 90s, your attic can easily reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Adequately sized vents and/or an attic fan can help keep hot air from building up.
Fan the Air
Ceiling fans, floor fans, and window fans can keep air moving to help keep your home cooler. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) if you use a ceiling fan in conjunction with air conditioning, you can raise the thermostat about 4 degrees Fahrenheit without reducing your level of comfort.
Also, if you have exhaust fans installed in your kitchen and bathroom, use them to remove humidity and heat when cooking or bathing.
For the heat that still manages to accumulate in your house, natural ventilation can help. According to NREL, natural ventilation works best in climates with cool nights and regular breezes. For natural ventilation, close doors, windows, and window coverings during the day, and open them at night.
By using smaller window openings for the ventilation inlets and larger openings for the ventilations, you can create natural cross-ventilation. NREL suggests making use of it throughout a larger portion of your home by making the air take a longer path between the inlet and outlet. They also advise that air from cooler, shaded outdoor areas provides the best intake air.
Help keep your cool and comfortable this summer. For more information on energy efficiency and safety visit EnergyEdCouncil.org.
Check your air filter every month, especially during heavy use months. If the filter looks dirty, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter slows down air flow and makes your system work harder to keep you comfortable.
Facts & Stats
The average home spends more than $2,000 per year on utility bills, nearly half going to heating and cooling.
A single light bulb doesn’t use a whole lot of energy. But when you add up all the lights in your home and think about how long they are usually on during the month, it can add up. Lighting is about 12% of your monthly bill.
Thinking about cutting down on your lighting energy use, and try these 12 tips.
Let the sun shine in
In the Pacific Northwest sunshine is always welcome. So, open the blinds and curtains, and take advantage of the natural light.
Dim the lights
Consider purchasing dimmer switches. They can increase bulb life while reducing electric consumption and operating cost. But don’t use them with compact fluorescent bulbs because they’re not compatible.
Use LEDs
LEDstands for light emitting diode. LED lighting products produce light approximately 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. How do they work? An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light.
Use motion sensors
These make the lights go on or off when someone enters or leaves the room. These are perfect for the garage. They’re also great for outdoor lighting. Your lights will only come on when motion is detected.
Let time take on the task
If you forget to turn off the lights, try timers. They turn lights on and off automatically and help with home security. Set it and forget it.
Decorate in light colors
If you plan to redecorate, think about lighter colors to reflect light. Darker colors absorb light and require more watts to light the room.
Use light colored light shades
A white lamp will give the best light. Tall, narrow shades or short, dark-colored shades let less light through. You’ll probably need to turn on another light to see properly, which means you’ll use more electricity.
Keep them clean
Dirty or dusty light bulbs don’t put out as much light as clean bulbs because dirt and dust absorb light.
Plan for vacation
If you’re going away you’ll probably want to leave some lights on for security reasons. Consider buying timers to turn your lights on and off instead of leaving them on 24 hours a day. The money you save on lighting could pay for the timers.
Use only what you need
Do you ever go into a room and turn on all the lights? Or leave landscaping lighting on all night? Inside and outside, use only as much light as you need.
Your food budget doesn’t stop at the checkout counter. Here are 11 suggestions to help you save energy and money when cooking.
Don’t preheat (if you don’t have to)
If you’re baking loaves of bread and cakes, preheating your oven may be necessary. But for most foods preheating simply isn’t necessary. It’s an energy and money wasted. Remember, every time you open your oven door you lose approximately 25°F of heat.
Small but significant
Smaller meals can be cooked in an electric skillet, broiler, or toaster oven. They use half the energy of a full-size electric counterpart and won’t heat up your kitchen.
Use your microwave oven
Your microwave requires about the same amount of energy per hour to operate as your electric oven. But, since it cooks food so much more quickly, it saves you time, energy, and money.
Boil until boiling and not a minute longer
Once water or other liquids reach a state of boiling, they won’t get any hotter. If you need to bring something to a boil, turn the burner down or off when it starts to boil.
Think smart…plan your meals
A meal like roasted chicken, green bean casserole, and brownies can all be cooked at the same time because they cook at the same temperature. It is easier on you and your oven, too.
Cover it up
Covers and lids on your pots and pans trap steam to help cook food faster.
Keep the heat inside the oven
Every time you open the oven door, you lose about 25°F of heat. This means your food will take longer to cook and your oven needs to work that much harder to keep the temperature consistent.
Pay attention to pots and pans
Pans with flared sides or bottoms that are smaller than your burner let heat escape. If pots and pans are too big or have warped bottoms, food will not cook evenly. For most foods, a medium weight aluminum pan cooks faster and more efficiently than other types. Save heavier pots and pans for foods that require slow and steady cooking.
Use your leftovers
Your oven and range have leftovers, too. An electric oven can stay hot for up to 30 minutes. Even your electric range top burner can stay hot for an extra 3 to 5 minutes. Take advantage of this extra heat by warming up desserts or rolls. After all, you’ve already paid for it.
Keep your oven clean
An oven that’s free of grease and baked-on residue will work more efficiently.
Thaw first, then cook
If you thaw your foods completely before cooking, your oven won’t have to work so hard to cook your meal.
Do you feel like you are drowning in laundry? You might be. The average American family does 300 loads of laundry annually.
And the cost of washing clothes typically runs about $200 a year. Those expenses come mostly from hot water heating and heating the air for drying clothes. But, you can take steps to reduces those costs.
Your Clothes Washer
Most of the expense of running your washer is from heating the water…90%. The remain 10% goes to operating the washer itself.
Wash full loads
It costs just as much to run a large load as it does to run a small load, so run a full load.
Modernize
Now’s the time to invest in an Energy Star-certified washing machine. They use only 15 gallons of water per load versus 23 gallons in the old-fashioned ones. Think of the water savings impact to our aquifer! Plus, they remove more moisture from clothing which reduces drying time and cost.
Front-load
Buy a front-loading washer. These models use 2/3 less water than top-loaders, reducing water and heating costs.
Use cold water
Washing in cold water will get most clothes perfectly clean. Besides, they’ll fade less and have fewer wrinkles. You might even save on ironing.
Check your hose and faucet connections
Check for hose cracks and leaky faucet connections. Both can cause you to lose hot water every time you wash a load of clothes.
Your Dryer
Dry full loads
Just like the washing machine, dry a full load.
Avoid using the dryer as an ironing machine
Pull your items out of the dryer while they are still warm to avoid wrinkles and avoid using the dryer to fluff up a single item. Instead, use the ironing board.
Get out the lint
Clean your dryer’s lint screen after every use. Besides keeping your clothes looking good, a lint-free dryer works more efficiently.
Go outside
Use the sun to dry your clothes. It’s free, and the only energy it requires is your own energy to hang the clothes on the line. If your community doesn’t allow for a clothesline, try using an indoor drying rack.
Spin faster
If your dryer has the option, use the faster drying spin cycle. You will decrease the amount of time you use your dryer.
To make your home comfortable in the summer, you have several options ranging from simply opening windows to installing a central air conditioning system.
Install insulation
Installing insulation is generally one of the best things you can do to reduce your home’s cooling costs. That’s because up to 20% of your home’s air conditioning can be lost to the great outdoors.
Shade your house
Use landscaping, awnings, and overhangs to provide shade around the outside of your home. A shaded house is easier to cool than 1 in direct sunlight. There are even white reflective roof paints available that can reduce air conditioning costs.
Set and leave it
The best temperature for your air conditioner’s thermostat is 78°F or higher. If you don’t want to come home to a hot house, consider installing a programmable thermostat.
Use fans instead
The average central AC system uses between 3 to 5 kWh per hour. If you ran at 3,500 Watts AC unit for 8 hours every day for a month that would cost you about $56 (Vera 2017 rates).
On the other hand, a fan uses 1 kWh per hour. And generally, you only use the fan when you are in that room. So, the savings could be huge.
Turn it off
If you plan to leave for a few minutes or more, turn your fan off. Running it while you’re not there is a definite energy waster.
Maintain it
Proper maintenance helps your air conditioner run more efficiently. Replace disposable filters or clean permanent filters every few months during the cooling season. It’s a good idea to have your entire system checked annually by a qualified air conditioning contractor.
Watch those windows
During the cooler morning and evening hours, open your windows and use the outside air to cool your home. During the heat of the day, close the draperies and blinds to keep the warm sun out. Consider installing reflective films or solar shade screens on windows with the greatest exposure to summer sun, this can help keep your furniture and carpet from fading, too.
Keep it as cool as possible
Install your air conditioner out of the direct sunlight.
Keep vents clear
An obstructed vent wastes both energy and money.
Keep it in
First, keep your doors and windows closed when you have the air conditioner on. Second, weather-strip and caulk your doors and windows to seal in cool air.
As the daylight dwindles this winter, holiday lights brighten the night sky. Consider using energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights to keep your energy costs lower and increase safety.
The quality and selection of LED lights and fiber optics have come a long way in recent years. Specifically, LED holiday lights are now brighter and come in more colors, shapes, and varieties. They are more energy efficient, last longer, safer, and sturdier than conventional incandescent lights. As a rule of thumb, the cost to power LED lights is only 10% of the cost of incandescent lights.
While LED lights may cost a bit more to purchase, they will save you more in the long run especially if you really like to decorate your home. Not only do LED lights cost a lot less to operate.
Heating water is one of your largest annual energy expense. A water heater can consume approximately 600-kilowatt hours per month. At Vera’s current prices, that cost most folks about $40 monthly or $480 annually to heat water.
Consider a high-efficiency water heater
The initial investment should pay back in the lower operational costs.
Set the thermostat properly
Set the water heater no higher than 120°F or the minimum setting if the specific temperature can’t be set to prevent burns and to conserve energy.
Fix the drips
If you have a leaky faucet, you’re pouring money down the drain. A slow drip can waste up to 450 gallons of water a month. If it’s hot water, you’re not only paying to heat the water, you may be paying for the disposal, too.
Reduce the flow
Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators in your bathrooms and kitchen. They can cut water use up to 11%, reducing your energy use. Consider taking short showers instead of baths. Showers typically use less hot water than baths, especially if the shower is less than 5 minutes. If you only need to wash your hair, try using the sink instead of taking a shower.
Use cold water
Use cold water to do the laundry or rinse dishes. Hot water for dishes use about 2 kilowatt hours of electricity (about 13¢) and washing a load of clothes uses about 5 kilowatt hours or about 33¢ per load.
Turn it off
Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth, lathering your hands with soap, or scrubbing dishes.
Use your dishwasher
That’s right. Run your dishwasher when it’s full.
Source: Northwest Regional Group, a group of electric utilities in the Northwest
Yes. Ceiling fans are very effective. They can help you use less energy in the summer by letting you keep your thermostat at a higher setting and still stay comfortable.
Summer months can bring some of the highest energy costs of the year with the high demand for air conditioning. Keeping your home comfortable can be expensive, but it can also be dangerous. If your air conditioner runs too often, it can stress your home’s electric system and put you at risk for shock or fire.
To avoid a tragedy, and save money, Vera Water and Power has 6 tips for energy efficiency this summer:
6 summer energy efficiency tips
Update your insulation. This will keep cool air in your home and hot air out. You can add more insulation on top of existing insulation in your attic.
Ventilate the attic. When the outside temperature is in the 90s, your attic can easily reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Adequately sized vents and/or an attic fan can help keep hot air from building up.
Get the air conditioner ready. Shut off power to the unit before cleaning it. On the inside, wash or vacuum cleanable filters, and replace disposable ones. Outside, clear leaves and other debris away from the condensing unit. Hose off any accumulated dirt. It is a good idea to call a professional to inspect your unit early in the summer.
Put a timer or programmable thermostat on your air conditioner. Leave it on a higher temperature while you’re away and set it to cool the house half an hour before you return home.
Install awnings over windows exposed to direct sunlight.
Consider installing ceiling fans. On moderately warm days, a ceiling fan may be enough to keep you comfortable. On warmer days, you can decrease your air conditioner use by using a fan.
Even in summer, you don’t have to sacrifice comfort to stay within your budget. Here are a few easily achieved cost saving tips:
Open windows and doors and let outside air cool your house on moderate days. Be sure to keep them closed when you’re operating the air conditioner.
Avoid unnecessary trips in and out of the house. Heat and humidity come in each time you open the door.
Keep the sun out of your house. Close blinds, shades or draperies during the hottest part of the day. Consider planting fast-growing trees and shrubs near your home, but away from power lines, to provide shade.
Set lamps, TV sets, and other heat-producing devices away from the air conditioner thermostat. Heat from the lamp could cause the thermostat to read a higher temperature and keep the air conditioner running more than necessary.
If you are shopping for a new air conditioning unit, look for one with the blue Energy Star label. An Energy Star air conditioner will save money in the long run by using less electricity. Your electric utility or state may have incentives for purchasing a more efficient model.
Ceiling fans, floor fans, and window fans can keep air moving to help keep your home cooler. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) if you use a ceiling fan in conjunction with air conditioning, you can raise the thermostat about 4 degrees Fahrenheit without reducing your level of comfort.
A single light bulb doesn’t use a whole lot of energy. But when you add up all the lights in your home and think about how long they are usually on during the month, it can add up. Lighting is about 12% of your monthly bill.
Don’t preheat (if you don’t have to)
As the daylight dwindles this winter, holiday lights brighten the night sky. Consider using energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights to keep your energy costs lower and increase safety.