John Bendall owner of Re/Max Classic Group offers tips from PSE&G on keeping cool and keeping costs down.

Okay, summer is here and the thermometer is finally starting to show it.  Energy bills for the next couple of months will be sure to reflect the higher summer temperatures.  I found the following tips from PSE&G on RIS Media.  They will help you stay cool and keep utility costs down. So read on and stay cool!  

 

10 Ways to Keep Your Cool This Summer

 

-         Turn off everything you’re not using; lights, TVs, computers, etc. Use dimmers, timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.

-         Set a programmable thermostat to your daily and weekend schedule. Raising your thermostat from 73 to 78 degrees can save you as much as 15% in cooling costs during the summer.

-         Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep the sun’s heat out and help fans and air conditioners cool more efficiently.

-         Check the weather-stripping and caulking around doors and windows. Eliminate air leaks between window air conditioners and windows with foam insulation or weather-stripping.

-         Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. With central air, close off vents to unused rooms.

-         Use fans to draw cooler air inside during the night and circulate air during the day. Ceiling fan blades should be rotating clockwise during the summer months. Even if you have air conditioning, ceiling and other fans provide additional cooling and better circulation so you can raise the thermostat and contain air conditioning costs.

-         Delay heat-producing tasks such as washing and drying laundry or dishes until later in the day, and wait until load is full.

-         Refrain from using nonessential appliances. Unplug or use only when necessary an extra refrigerator in your garage. A refrigerator in an uncooled space such as a garage uses more energy on hot summer days than it does during the winter.

-         Replace your four most used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with four comparable 23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs. ENERGY STAR(R)-labeled compact fluorescents work well almost anywhere incandescent bulbs are in use, and can save you a significant amount of money over their lifetime.

-         Plant shade trees close to the house on the south and west sides.

 

For more information, visit http://www.pseg.com.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.