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Cooling tips
From TipThePlanet
[edit] Block the Heat
- Hang your clothes on the frame of an open door or window. This causes a natural cooling effect.
- Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units but not to block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.
- Attach an UV film in your windows to help your house stay cooler.
- Make tight fitting blinds with a fabric called 'Black out' and fit them into all south facing windows with tension rods.
- During the cooling season, keep the window coverings closed during the day to prevent solar gain.
- Reflective foil installed under the roof (sarking) will reflect large amounts of direct radiation away from the home in summer.
- Install light-colored awnings. Some studies report that an awning can reduce heat gain in your home by up to 77 percent!
[edit] Remove Interior Heat
- Use kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans wisely; in just 1 hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed or cooled air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job.
- Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
- Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.
- Consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.
- Whole-house fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. They are effective when operated at night and when the outside air is cooler than the inside. See also Tips for fans.
- Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary - Alliance to Save Energy
- Keeping the filter and cooling coil of an air-conditioner clean saves up to 10% of energy.
