As August comes to a close, some parts of the country may be starting to cool off, but the heat in Georgia and the rest of the South usually hangs on through September. There are some ways to cut down on air conditioning use and the resulting electrical bill and still keep your house at a comfortable temperature.
· Grill out instead of using the stove and oven. You can even grill veggies. Check out the grill recipes on this website. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grill/
· Also, try cold meals like salads that involve minimal cooking. Check out this recipe site for some ideas. http://family.go.com/food/pkg-summer-recipes/
· Washers, and especially dryers, generate a lot of heat. Do the laundry early in the morning or late in the evening instead of during the hottest part of the day. Better yet, forego the dryer altogether and hang your clothes out to air dry.
· You might be surprised to discover how much ceiling, box and oscillating fans help cool your house and allow you to use your air conditioning less.
· If you only sleep upstairs, and have two AC units, why cool the area all day? Run the upstairs thermostat up to 80 degrees until about an hour before you go to sleep. You will save money by not cooling parts of your house unnecessarily.
· By the same token, if no one is home all day, why keep the house cool? Run all of your thermostats up while you are not at home, and install timers to turn the AC on about an hour before you get home.
· Closing blinds and curtains during the day will help keep the heat out, and only turning on lights that are absolutely necessary will help as well.
· LED and CFL light bulbs give off less heat than traditional light bulbs.
· Planting lots of trees in your yard will make a noticeable difference in the heat as time goes by and the trees grow to provide plenty of shade.
· Speaking of shade, making sure your outdoor AC unit is shaded will help it operate more efficiently.
· At night, you can put your heavy comforters to the side and sleep under the sheets only. This way fans may be all you need to keep cool overnight.
Minimizing your air conditioning use might save you a significant amount of money which you can put toward a Fall vacation trip to the mountains or a unique family Christmas gift. Using less AC power is also better for the environment and will help make your household eco-friendly. So, turn up the thermostat, turn on the fans and enjoy the rest of your summer.
· Grill out instead of using the stove and oven. You can even grill veggies. Check out the grill recipes on this website. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grill/
· Also, try cold meals like salads that involve minimal cooking. Check out this recipe site for some ideas. http://family.go.com/food/pkg-summer-recipes/
· Washers, and especially dryers, generate a lot of heat. Do the laundry early in the morning or late in the evening instead of during the hottest part of the day. Better yet, forego the dryer altogether and hang your clothes out to air dry.
· You might be surprised to discover how much ceiling, box and oscillating fans help cool your house and allow you to use your air conditioning less.
· If you only sleep upstairs, and have two AC units, why cool the area all day? Run the upstairs thermostat up to 80 degrees until about an hour before you go to sleep. You will save money by not cooling parts of your house unnecessarily.
· By the same token, if no one is home all day, why keep the house cool? Run all of your thermostats up while you are not at home, and install timers to turn the AC on about an hour before you get home.
· Closing blinds and curtains during the day will help keep the heat out, and only turning on lights that are absolutely necessary will help as well.
· LED and CFL light bulbs give off less heat than traditional light bulbs.
· Planting lots of trees in your yard will make a noticeable difference in the heat as time goes by and the trees grow to provide plenty of shade.
· Speaking of shade, making sure your outdoor AC unit is shaded will help it operate more efficiently.
· At night, you can put your heavy comforters to the side and sleep under the sheets only. This way fans may be all you need to keep cool overnight.
Minimizing your air conditioning use might save you a significant amount of money which you can put toward a Fall vacation trip to the mountains or a unique family Christmas gift. Using less AC power is also better for the environment and will help make your household eco-friendly. So, turn up the thermostat, turn on the fans and enjoy the rest of your summer.
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