Summer and the high temperatures it brings can cause increased electrical loads. Keep cool this summer and save energy costs by following these simple tips around the house.

Summer cooling tips

• Turn off unnecessary lights. Much of the energy from a light bulb is heat.
• Shut doors to unused rooms.
• Make sure furniture or drapes do not block your registers for supply and return air.
• Wear thin, loosely fitting clothes and you may not have to keep room temperatures as cool.
• Keep the sun out of your house. Close blinds, shades or curtains during the hottest part of the day.
• On mild days, open windows for natural ventilation and turn the air conditioning off.
• Use portable or ceiling fans. Even mild air movement of 1-mph can make you feel 3-4° cooler.
• Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows.

Cooking

• Light up your outdoor grill. The stove or oven can raise the temperature in your kitchen as much as 5° to 10°!
• Use a microwave instead of a conventional oven to save money and keep your kitchen cooler.
• Take the refrigerator out of the garage. If you have a second refrigerator or freezer in an uninsulated garage, move it to an insulated basement or spare room. You’ll save money because the unit won’t have to work as hard to stay cold. Even better, unplug it completely, using it only when you really need it.

Household chores

• Do heat- and moisture-producing jobs such as cooking, cleaning, ironing and laundry during the cooler early morning and evening hours.
• Air-dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s heat drying cycle.
• Avoid unnecessary trips in and out of the house, especially on very hot days. Heat and humidity come in each time you open the door.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Find more energy saving tips at the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Savers website.

Learn how to get the most out of your air conditioner and how attic fans can help cool your home. Click here for more.

For more information

To learn more about staying cool and saving money, contact NOVEC's Energy Services Department at (703) 392-1503 or Toll-free at 1-888- 335-0500 ext. 1503 or via email at energyservices@novec.com.