By Lee Hamilton, Spencer Sator
Q: Do you have a list of top energy-saving tips
for the summer that we can share with our residential customers?
A: After researching our own materials as well as
those from utility and state-sponsored programs, we found some common themes
linking energy-saving advice for residential customers. In general, specific
energy-saving tips fall into one of the following three categories: keeping
heat out of the home, minimizing heat generation within the home, and
optimizing use of the air conditioner (AC).
We then compiled a list of advice and tips based upon those
three categories to help residential customers reduce their energy use during
the summer. Although this list contains many proven measures, the possibilities
for energy-saving techniques and measures are nearly infinite. Consequently,
this list should not be considered comprehensive, but rather representative of
many available options.
Keep the Heat Out
Add weather stripping around doors and
windows. This helps seal your home, preventing hot air from infiltrating
while keeping cool air inside.
Caulk and seal around plumbing openings.
Small gaps and openings around plumbing penetrations often go unnoticed, but
they have the same effect as a hole in the wall. Sealing these openings blocks
hot air from the outside and keeps cool air inside.
Use Energy Star doors and windows. Energy
Star–qualified products will cost more up front, but they’ll help save energy
by reducing heating and cooling costs.
Install reflective window films. Install
window films that block solar heat gain, reducing the cooling load on your AC
unit.
Keep sunlight out. Close your blinds,
shades, drapes, and curtains during the warmest parts of the day, particularly
on the sunny side of your home. This will help keep your home cooler, reducing
the workload on your AC unit.
Open the windows at night. Take advantage
of natural ventilation by opening your windows at night once it’s cooled down.
This uses free outdoor air to cool your home, allowing you to shut off the AC.
Just don’t forget to close the windows in the morning!
Plant shade trees and shrubbery. Planting
trees, hedges, and other shrubs on the sunny sides of your home can provide
natural shading and cooling. This reduces the solar heat gain during the summer
months. In addition, shading your AC’s condensing unit with shrubs or trees can
also reduce its energy use.
Add or upgrade insulation. Insulation
isn’t only for the winter time—it’s also useful during the summer. Proper
insulation will help keep your house cool by preventing hot air from creeping
in.
Ventilate your attic. Heat can build up
in attics, particularly in hot, sunny climates. Proper ventilation will help
remove that heat to the outdoors; otherwise that heat can “drop in” to your
home, keeping the inside warm long after it’s cooled off outside. A qualified
contractor can assist with this.
Minimize Heat Generation
Save heat-generating tasks for cooler times
of day. Tasks like dishwashing, cooking, and washing clothes generate a lot
of heat. Avoid doing these things during the hottest parts of the day; wait for
the cooler periods at night or in the early morning.
Turn off unused electronics. Things like
TVs and computer monitors, if left on, consume unnecessary energy and generate
heat. Using smart
power strips, which turn things off for you, can help reduce this wasted
electricity.
Turn off unnecessary lights. Lightbulbs
generate heat when they are turned on. Turning lights off and using desktop or
task lamps rather than overhead lighting when possible can help keep rooms
cool.
Use energy-efficient lighting.
Incandescent bulbs are inherently inefficient, expelling 90 percent of their
energy as heat. Using efficient alternatives such as compact fluorescent lamps
(CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will reduce the heat generated by
lighting.
Optimize AC Use and Ventilation
Turn your thermostat up during the day.
Turning a thermostat up during the day can mean large savings and help you
avoid peak charges. If you have a programmable thermostat or an AC timer, set
it to start cooling no more than 30 minutes before you expect to return home.
And when you’re at home, set the thermostat to 78° Fahrenheit or higher.
Keep vents clear and open. Make sure that
things like furniture and curtains are not blocking air vents; blocked vents
can put extra strain on your AC unit and interrupt the delivery of cool air.
Also, verify that vents are open in the rooms being cooled.
Replace air-conditioner air filters
regularly. Dirty air filters restrict airflow and cause your AC to run
longer than necessary. Replace filters every 30 days during cooling season.
Schedule regular AC maintenance. Having
your cooling equipment serviced annually in the spring, before the summer heats
up, can keep it running efficiently and help you avoid equipment malfunction
when you need cool air the most.
Seal your ducts. If you have ductwork
connecting your air conditioning unit to vents throughout your home, a lot of
cool air can be lost through gaps and cracks, particularly at the seams. These
gaps can be sealed with metal-backed tape or duct sealant.
Insulate your ducts. Cool air traveling
through ducts that are in hot or unventilated areas of the home—such as an
attic—can heat up quickly and render your air-conditioning system a lot less
efficient.
Replace an older AC unit with an Energy Star
model. Replacing old air conditioners—those 10 years old or older—with new
Energy Star–qualified models can save you over 30 percent on your cooling
costs. These units are expensive, but the cost difference will be paid back
over time by way of smaller energy bills.
Close all windows and doors when the AC is
running. Make sure all windows and doors are closed when the AC is turned
on. Otherwise, cool air will rush out of the opening, wasting huge amounts of
energy and putting a heavy load on your air conditioner.
Make use of fans. The air moving across
your skin has a cooling effect, allowing you to increase your overall
thermostat setting. Standing fans and desk fans can cool small areas, and
ceiling fans can make a difference in larger ones. Just make sure any ceiling
fans are blowing the air downward to get the best results.
Add a whole-house fan. These fans are
typically installed in the attic and can help ventilate the entire home by
replacing the old air with fresh outdoor air. Be sure to open a window in each
room before using a whole-house fan—this will assist with the ventilation and
cool the entire house. 
Keep your AC unit out of the sun. The
hotter an AC unit is, the harder it has to work to cool your home. Avoid
installing the unit on the south and west sides of your home, if possible, and
if not, plant trees or build a structure to give it some shade.
Additional Resources
No- and Low-Cost Energy-Efficiency Tips for Renters(PDF),
E Source, RES-P-10-ESCD (2009)
As
Heat Wave Ushers In Summer, Energy Efficiency Can Cut Cost of Staying
Cool ,
Alliance to Save Energy (2012)
Summertime
Energy-Saving Tips ,
California Energy Commission
No-Cost and Low-Cost Tips to Save Energy This Summer , U.S. Department of Energy
No-Cost and Low-Cost Tips to Save Energy This Summer , U.S. Department of Energy
Energy-Saving
Tips for Your Home During Warm Weather ,
California Natural Resources
101
Money-Saving Tips ,
We Energies
Tips ,
Efficiency Nova Scotia Corp.
Energy
Saving Tips ,
Flex Your Power
Guides
& Tips ,
Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.
Saving
Energy on Heating and Cooling (PDF), National Grid (2008)
Guides &
Tips ,
BC Hydro (2012)
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