8 Summertime Energy Conservation Tips for Homeowners

Summer is already into full swing, and the days here on the coast of Florida are getting hot and humid. That means we need to look at ways to keep cool without spending a fortune. We learn new energy conservation tips every year it seems, so we wanted to share some important tips with you today. Here are eight tips that will help you conserve energy this summer. We’ve saved the best for last, so don’t click away half way through.

Change the Ceiling Fan Direction

This is an old one, but a good one. Everyone is probably familiar with this one, but we still wanted to start out with it because it really does make a big difference.

Turn the Lights Off:

This one isn’t going to make or break the bank, but as they say, “every cent helps.” Leaving a light on overnight or while you’re at work during the day will cost roughly 75 cents per year. This could create problems if you leave multiple lights on, but like we said – not going to be a huge issue.

Turn the Coffee Pot Off

The average coffee maker uses roughly $20 of power per month if you leave it running for two hours every morning after making your coffee. This is obviously a more significant savings than a few cents a week for the lights or a television. 

Windows and Doors

Weather stripping is our friend. Make sure any drafty areas are sealed and no hot air can enter.

Kitchen and Bathroom Exhaust Fans

The kitchen and bathroom vent fans are designed to pull odors from the house and vent them outside. They are not designed to leave running for hours after they’ve served their purpose. Turn them off after a few minutes of running so your nice cool air stays inside your home.

Limit Air Conditioning

Don’t try to keep the house cold inside. The harder the AC unit works, the more your power bill will be. For example, if it’s 100 degrees outside, set your air conditioning to 80 or 85 to keep it cool without over stressing the system.

Program the Thermostat

Set the thermostat so it doesn’t cool quite as much while you’re not home, but don’t go too drastic. It takes more power to cool the house back down if it is allowed to heat the entire time you’re home.

Close the Door

Here’s the big one. No matter how vigilant we are as parents, grandparents, and other caregivers, kids can run outside and leave the door open for five minutes before we realize it’s even happened. Install an automatic sliding door system to prevent these losses from happening. This allows children and pets to come and go as they please – provided they have a safely fenced in yard – without costing a fortune in escaped cold air from your home. 

As you can see, standing by the refrigerator with the door open isn’t where a lot of your money goes; it goes to cooling the air that circulates around the windows and doors, and heat producing appliances. The more we concentrate on keeping the exterior doors closed and ensuring a proper seal for our windows, the better our energy efficiency will be.

Autoslide USA is the North American headquarters for the Australian based Autoslide Pty company. We provide automatic door systems for homeowners and businesses throughout the country. Our door system works well with both exterior and interior sliding doors, making them an effective resource for the elderly, people with mobility issues, and people with pets. Give us a call at 813-885-3667 for more information or to request information about a specific automatic door system.