Summer is here and you know what that means — BBQ cookouts, baseball games, vacays, road trips, fireworks…just to name a few favorite things.
However, summertime isn’t all pool parties and sno-cones. Summer is also one of the busiest seasons for household energy use.
Use these four tips to help you cool down your energy use this summer!
Grill outside
Grilling outside is one of the easiest — and most fun — ways to save energy in the summer. If it’s a nice night, forget the stove, oven or microwave and treat yourself to a meal prepared outside. We won’t step into the debate about whether grilled food tastes better with propane, charcoal or electric (that debate is more intense than OU vs. OSU). We’ll just say that if you’re new to grilling or feeling a little rusty, you should give the kitchen the night off and grill dinner outside instead!
Be SMART about your thermostat…literally
Your HVAC is typically a home’s biggest energy user, especially during the summertime. Want to know the smartest thing you can do? Switch to a programmable Wi-Fi thermostat to control your temperature settings from your phone or connected device and develop a cooling schedule so you don’t run your A/C while no one is home. We even offer a $75 rebate for smart thermostats!
Become a fan of fans
Fans are a fan-tastic way to save energy in the summertime. Purchase an energy- efficient upright or box fan then set your overhead fans to run counterclockwise, which creates a cooling, downward draft. Remember, fans cool people…not rooms, so only run yours if someone is in the room. Also, don’t keep your A/C running on low all the time while you’re running your fans. Otherwise, you won’t enjoy any energy savings.
Close your blinds
When you leave the blinds open, the sunlight heats your home, making you hotter and more uncomfortable — and more likely to turn the A/C down. So, solve the problem and close the blinds. With less sunlight coming in, you may need more overhead lighting. However, you’re still using less electricity than your A/C, especially when you use energy-efficient LED lights since they use 90% less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs.
Follow these tips to have a blast this summer, without sweating your energy use.
