Beating the heat during the summer doesn’t mean you have to reach for the air conditioner. Avoid expensive energy bills this year by making energy efficient upgrades to your home renovation project this summer. There are plenty of quick and easy ways to make your home a more comfortable abode for you and your loved ones; everything from quick-fix DIY projects, to eye-catching full scale renovations. Pick the energy efficient project that provides the best solution and enjoy a cool and comfortable summer without the high price tag!
Landscaping
Making your home more comfortable on the inside starts with the outside! Updating your home’s landscape not only adds to its curb appeal, but it’s also an incredibly effective way to naturally keep your home cooler and more comfortable. Trees and shrubbery can shade an entire side of a home which is especially useful around west-facing windows. Also, consider removing rocks, asphalt or cement features and replacing them with trees and other plant life to avoid increased heat absorption that can last well past sunset.
Light Control
Landscaping helps protect the outside of your home from heat gain in the same way that window treatments can help protect the inside; a combination of the two will no doubt increase the effectiveness of both! Blackout shades are one of the best window treatments available for blocking out summer heat, reducing glare, and protecting your interiors from harmful UV rays. Roman shades are another attractive alternative for homeowners looking for stylish yet functional window treatments. What makes Roman shades great is that they can not only help prevent heat gain during the summer, but also help prevent heat loss during the winter!
The Little Things Count
If you’re looking to become even more energy efficient while you work on your landscaping and window treatment projects, there are a few practices you can adopt around your home. To help keep your home cool in the summer, you can wait to use heat producing appliances—such as the oven—until after sunset; you can turn off electronics when not in use; and you can switch out incandescent bulbs with energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. Open your windows and use portable fans or ceiling fans as often as possible, making sure fans are facing in the optimal direction to increase air circulation.
Combining any of the ideas listed above is a great way to get started on a more energy efficient home during the summer. Fresh new landscaping, energy efficient window treatments, and smaller solutions like fans and fluorescent light bulbs, are great ways to reduce your energy bills, decrease your home’s carbon footprint, and leave your home feeling enjoyably comfortable all year round!
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I think the Blackout shades are a terrific idea for keeping the home cool, we have some on the side of our house where we get the most direct sun. They help! Also we refrain from using the oven and cook mostly outdoors in the summer using the grill/smoker.
i need some cooler temps inside. i have the ac running all day long and it still does not cool a lot. i will try some of these and see how they work. thanks.
Thank you for these wonderful ideas. I will have to try them. My electric bill is too high.
Very good tips. It is too expensive to be running the air conditioner all the time. I like using the ceiling fan to help cool down the bedrooms and using a fan in the kitchen really helps when cooking.
Great tips! I try to do laundry at night and I like to think it helps.