Summer Cooling Tip

Cool down

Want to know how you can save up on your electricity bills during summertime? All you need to do is hang a wet towel on your window panes. The moisture from the towel will prevent the heat from wafting in and cool down the temperature of the room.

Additional * * *

Install white window shades or mini-blinds. Mini-blinds can reduce solar heat gain by 40-50 percent.

Close south and west-facing curtains during the day for any window that gets direct sunlight. Keep these windows closed, too.

Install awnings on south-facing windows, where there’s insufficient roof overhang to provide shade.

Hang tightly woven screens or bamboo shades outside the window during the summer to stop 60 to
percent of the sun’s heat from getting to the windows.

Consider exotic infill's in your windows, a new technology that fills the space between panes with krypton or argon, gasses that have lower conductivity than air, and which boost R-values.

Tips for your A/C

Provide shade for your room A/C, or the outside half of your central A/C if at all possible. This will increase the unit’s efficiency by 5 percent to 10 percent.

Clean your A/C’s air filter every month during cooling season. Normal dust build-up can reduce air flow by 1 percent per week.

Turn off your A/C when you leave for more than an hour.