Are You Heating Your Home in the Summer?

During the hot, humid summer months, it's important to take steps to help your air conditioner work as efficiently as possible. Some steps are obvious, such as closing blinds to block the sun, running ceiling fans to circulate the cool air, and keeping windows and doors closed. However, much of the heat and humidity is actually created inside the home, which can significantly increase your cooling costs.

Here are a few tips to help reduce the heat and humidity from within your home:

1. Turn off incandescent bulbs. Because most of the energy from incandescent bulbs goes to generating heat rather than light (only 5%), turning them off when not needed will significantly reduce the heat in rooms. Better yet, consider switching to compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs, which convert more of their energy into light, thereby operating much cooler.

2. Keep lamps, TVs and other heat generating appliances away from the thermostat.

3. Cook outside with a grill or use your microwave instead of the oven or range.

4. Make sure your dryer and bathroom exhaust ducts are venting outside and not into your attic.

5. Line dry clothes outside. Dryers generate not just heat, but a lot of humidity.

6. Air dry dishes in your dishwasher. The drying cycle of a dishwasher generates a lot of warm, humid air.

7. Use a water heater blanket. This will not only reduce heat in the home but will make your water heater operate more efficiently.

8. Turn off the gas supply to fireplaces and heaters. The pilot light creates heat and wastes gas.