August is usually the hottest part of summer here in the Midwest. Any little trick we can find to help us keep cool is welcome. If that trick also helps keep our energy bills down, it is doubly welcome.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. In general, you will find lower indoor lighting levels more pleasant in warm weather.
• Keep heat-producing appliances away from your thermostat. Heat emitted by television sets, lamps, and other appliances will make your cooling system work harder.
In the Kitchen
• Use your microwave oven. Microwave cooking can reduce energy consumption by two-thirds and produces much less waste heat than your stove. Toaster ovens and slow cookers also reduce energy use in the kitchen.
• Prepare cool meals such as salads and sandwiches, and barbecue outdoors.
• Turn on your range hood when cooking to exhaust waste heat from your home.
• Keep your oven door tightly closed. Use the oven light to check on progress when baking or roasting.
• Timers and meat thermometers save energy and help you avoid overcooked meals.
• Select right-sized pots and pans with tight-fitting lids and cook at lower temperatures to reduce energy use. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch element, for example, wastes 40% of the element's heat output.
• Air-dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
• Use your range hood when the dishwasher is operating to vent excess heat and humidity outdoors.
In the Laundry
• Many appliances create added heat and moisture making your air conditioner work harder. Use them in the early morning or late evening when the temperature is cooler.
• Use a clothesline.
• Evergreens will protect the north side of your home from icy blasts.
• Avoid landscaping with lots of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides because it increases the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.
• Small shrubs can block heat reflected from patios and pavement. And planting vines over southern windows can reduce the effect of the sun's heat.
• Use shade devices such as awnings or a trellis planted with vines on the south and west sides.
• Prune back shrubs and remove debris, like grass and leaves, which may block airflow to your air conditioner.
I've found some tips that may help all of us save energy while keeping cool.
Don't Add Extra Heat
• Close shades on the sunny side of your home on hot days.• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. In general, you will find lower indoor lighting levels more pleasant in warm weather.
• Keep heat-producing appliances away from your thermostat. Heat emitted by television sets, lamps, and other appliances will make your cooling system work harder.
In the Kitchen
• Use your microwave oven. Microwave cooking can reduce energy consumption by two-thirds and produces much less waste heat than your stove. Toaster ovens and slow cookers also reduce energy use in the kitchen.
• Prepare cool meals such as salads and sandwiches, and barbecue outdoors.
• Turn on your range hood when cooking to exhaust waste heat from your home.
• Keep your oven door tightly closed. Use the oven light to check on progress when baking or roasting.
• Timers and meat thermometers save energy and help you avoid overcooked meals.
• Select right-sized pots and pans with tight-fitting lids and cook at lower temperatures to reduce energy use. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch element, for example, wastes 40% of the element's heat output.
• Air-dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
• Use your range hood when the dishwasher is operating to vent excess heat and humidity outdoors.
In the Laundry
• Many appliances create added heat and moisture making your air conditioner work harder. Use them in the early morning or late evening when the temperature is cooler.
• Use a clothesline.
Landscaping
• Deciduous trees on the south provide cooling shade in the summer then loose their leaves so they do not block warming sun in the winter.• Evergreens will protect the north side of your home from icy blasts.
• Avoid landscaping with lots of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides because it increases the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.
• Small shrubs can block heat reflected from patios and pavement. And planting vines over southern windows can reduce the effect of the sun's heat.
• Use shade devices such as awnings or a trellis planted with vines on the south and west sides.
• Prune back shrubs and remove debris, like grass and leaves, which may block airflow to your air conditioner.
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