1. During the day, pull down shades on east and west windows.
2. Delay running heat-generating appliances until night: such as using your dishwasher, washer, dryer and oven cleaning.
3. Keep the house closed tight during the day to lock out unwanted heat and humidity. If night temps are 68 degrees or cooler, open windows and use ceiling fans.
4. Plant shade trees around the house. Trees are nature’s air conditioners.
5. If you have an older air conditioner system, invest in a modern, high-efficiency unit. It will cool better and use less energy.
6. In hot, humid weather, make sure your air conditioner rids your home of high humidity. Models with variable or multi-speed blowers are generally best. Moisture creates discomfort.
7. Do not to use a dehumidifier when your air conditioner is operating. It increases the cooling load and forces your A/C to work much harder.
8. Always seal your A/C ducts, and insulate those ducts that run through unheated areas such as basements, crawl spaces and attics.
9. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans.
10. Close vents in rooms you do not use. It will increase cooling to rooms you are using.
11. To maximize efficiency of your A/C, get a clean and check service prior to the hot summer.
12. Clear away branches leaves from outside condenser unit. Make sure it is free from cottonwood that blocks air flow.
13. Use white window shades or mini-blinds to reduce solar heat.
14. Install awnings on south-facing windows to provide shade.
15. Apply low-e films to your windows if they do not have such film.
16. Turn off your A/C when you leave your home for more than an hour. Or get a thermostat that adjusts automatically.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2012 at 10:57 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.