How To Keep Your House Cool During The Summer Months

1.     Shut windows and pull down the blinds first thing in the morning before it starts to get hotter outside. Inexpensive mini blinds or curtains can work wonders for reducing the sunlight and heat streaming in through your windows! Install blinds especially on the south-facing windows. Make sure blinds or curtains are white on the side facing the outside. Solar sunscreens and window film are other options that can greatly reduce the heat coming through windows.

2.     Open them for ventilation when it is getting cooler during the evening, and only if the temperature outside is cooler than inside.

3.     Fans should be used in the first instance to cool your home. They use much less energy   than an air conditioner. Remember a fan is only effective when you're in the room to feel the cooling, so turn them off when you leave. Run ceiling fans in a counterclockwise direction (when looking up) when you’re in the room to help keep you cool through evaporation. This will allow you to set the thermostat on your air conditioner higher and save energy.

4.    If you have air-conditioning, it's best to target a temperature between 23C and 26C rather than 18C to 20C. Keeping the thermostat at these levels could save 15 per cent of the air-conditioner running costs. Also it is wise to zone your cooling to where you spend time, rather than chilling the whole home.

5.    Install Cool Lighting Incandescent light bulbs can significantly heat up a room. Replace standard bulbs with high-efficiency, low-heat CFL (compact fluorescent lights) or LED (light emitting diodes) bulbs, and turn off lights when not needed. 

6.    Turn Off Electronics, Computers, TVs, and other electronics generate quite a bit of heat when sitting idle or even when turned off, so unplug devices when not in use. An easy way to do this is to plug electronics into a surge protector which has an on/off switch, then turn the switch off when the devices are not in use. 

7.    Don't run appliances during the day, like dishwashers or washing machines; save these activities for the night.

8.    Chill in the basement if you are lucky enough to have one. It is generally the coolest part of the house. If your basement isn't too pleasant for hanging out you could even consider making that your next DIY project.

9.    Clean Air Conditioner Filters - While your AC system is cranking away, the filter is getting more use than usual. By changing the AC air filter every month or so during the highest use months allows air to flow easily through your HVAC system, making it run more efficiently and saving energy.

10.    For the long run consider shading, ventilation and insulation. Existing homes can be retrofitted with ceiling insulation, draught stoppers and shad in to stop the sun from striking windows directly and the heat entering in the first place. You could even plant some trees!

11.    Put Off Chores! Don’t run the dishwasher, clothes washer/dryer, or other appliances during the heat of the day, since these machines generate heat and humidity that will be hard to overcome. Put these chores off until evening when possible.

• When cleaning clothes:
• Wash clothes in cold water.
• Run the washer or dryer only if you have a full load.
• Choose the shortest wash cycle that gets the job done.
• Clean dryer vent pipe and lint screen regularly to lower drying time.
• Dry clothes outside on a clothesline when possible.

12.  Cook Wisely Eat cold meals, cook outside on the grill, or use the microwave for cooking when possible to minimize heat indoors.

• When you do cook indoors:
• Cover pots to minimize indoor humidity.
• Use range hood or microwave vent fan to vent hot air outside.
• Turn oven off a few minutes before food is cooked to reduce oven heat.
• Check the oven by turning on the light and looking through the glass, rather than opening the oven door.