Smarter Cooling, Smaller Bills: Your Summer Energy Game Plan

How to Reduce Home Cooling Costs with Smart Ventilation

Controlling your family’s energy use this summer is not difficult. All it takes is a little planning and care and you can significantly reduce your home’s power consumption during the hot months, and by doing so, save on your utility bill payments and also reduce your carbon footprint. Many of these ideas have been around for a long time, but are overlooked when energy use is discussed.

The Plan

  • Windows: Double, or even triple glazing will limit the amount of heat that enters the house through the glass. Window treatments and coverings that keep unwanted heat and light out are valuable contributors to controlling the indoor heat load and the amount of energy needed to cool the house.
  • Tubular Skylights: Unlike traditional skylights, these bring sunlight into the house, without the unwanted solar heat. Tubular skylights can be installed without any structural modifications and have no operating cost. The reduction in electric lighting during the day can have a major impact on your energy costs.
  • Thermostats: Avoid the temptation to keep the interior colder than it needs to be. Excess air conditioning will not make you more comfortable; it will just push up your energy usage. Over-cooling the home could harm those living there. Installing a programmable thermostat that allows you to reduce the air conditioning when the house is empty, and increase it when people are at home, will save you a lot of power. A common mistake is to set the thermostat colder than needed when the air conditioning is first turned on in the hope of cooling the house faster. This does not work – the house will cool down at the same pace but your energy consumption will go up.

Also Read: Summer Is a Great Time to Upgrade Your Home

  • HVAC: Get your HVAC system cleaned and serviced regularly so that it runs efficiently and does not consume excess power.
  • Use Fans to Ventilate the House: The whole house, attic, and garage fans should be used to blow the warm stale air out of the house so that the load on the air conditioning system is reduced. Turn off ceiling fans when leaving a room – the air they circulate cools people and not the room itself.
  • Appliances: If your appliances are old or obsolete, this is a good time to think about replacing them with new energy-efficient models.

The bottom line is that reducing your electricity consumption by bringing down the heat load in the home (to control air conditioning use) is the key factor in any summer energy game plan. If saving money and making your home more comfortable this summer is what you want, the first step is checking out Sunlight Concepts. This is the Solatube premier dealer for the Bay Area. Solatube is the world leader in daylighting and ventilation technologies. The company’s products include tubular skylights that bring pure natural sunlight into all parts of the house without bringing in unwanted heat, and also whole house, attic, and garage fans that blow warm stale air out of the house, and by doing so, reduce the interior heat load. This translates into a reduced air conditioning load and less power consumption. Visit the Sunlight Concepts website to learn more about these products and also the very attractive tax rebates available on many solar-powered devices. All these products are easy to install and require no structural modifications to your home. The free consultation will tell you all you need to know.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are tubular skylights?

They bring in natural light without heat and cut down on daytime lighting costs.

2. Do programmable thermostats save energy?

Yes! They adjust cooling based on your schedule, reducing waste and power bills.

3. Should I upgrade my old appliances?

Yes, switching to energy-efficient models lowers power consumption and bills.

4. Where can I get a free consultation on cooling products?

Visit the Sunlight Concepts website for a free consultation and more info.

5. Why should I service my HVAC system?

A clean and efficient HVAC unit uses less power and cools better.