Try These Clever Ways To Save Money On Summer Energy Bills

Forecasts predict a long, hot summer, a welcomed piece of news in our country of four distinct, mostly chilly seasons.

In many homes, however, summer weather of that kind leads to cranking up the air conditioning for much longer periods. Reliable cooling assures relief for sleeping and for all activities, but such expensive energy consumption could make the gift of a long, hot summer, too much of a price to pay.

Did you know that annually, 25 per cent of all energy consumed in the average household is for air conditioning? So imagine the costs to be saved if we find effective ways to cut it back.

“Yes there are some clever alternatives for keeping rooms cool,” says Sue Rainville from Hunter Douglas, a leading name in window fashions. “Programmable thermostats and ceiling fans will keep dollars in your wallet – and did you know that certain types of engineering today make window treatments do this job as well? In addition to supplying privacy and beautiful décor appeal, some of the more innovative window coverings help to keep interiors cool in summer and warm in winter. Better still, with our newest device and app called PowerView, you can even adjust motorized blinds remotely when you are not home.”

Rainville has a few more money-saving quick tips:

• Turn on ceiling fans first with blades moving in a counterclockwise direction for quick disbursement of the hot air.

• Use a programmable thermostat to adjust the household temperature when no occupants are at home.

• Turn down the hot water temperature. It may surprise you to hear that water heating accounts for 18 per cent of the annual household energy consumed. Advisors tell us if we turn the temperature down 10 degrees (F) we could save 3 to 5 per cent in costs.

• Install an on-demand tankless water system. Conventional water tanks waste energy because they are set to keep a large amount of water at a consistent hot temperature when it is not needed. An on-demand system may better serve your needs.

• Reduce the amount of solar heat that passes through your windows. Energy-efficient window treatments can help control as much as 50 per cent of the heating and cooling energy that can be lost at the window. Additional window fashion tips like that are available at hunterdouglas.ca

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