Check out our tips to stay cool, safe and energy efficient during the hot summer:
Be safe. Efficiency means staying safe and cool while reducing your energy waste. Raising your thermostat by a few degrees and using a ceiling fan can lower air conditioning costs over the summer. Just be smart about it—don’t raise the temperature to an unsafe level. Many utilities have recommended setting the thermostat at about 75-78 degrees when you’re at home and awake. At night or when you’re away, bump it up a few degrees. Changing your thermostat by 7° to 10°F (up in the summer, down in the winter) from its normal setting for 8 hours a day can save you about 10 percent a year on heating and cooling, according to the Energy Department. Again, never take any risks with your health. Efficiency is about staying safe and cool.
Use fans. Fans alone aren’t adequate in a heat wave, but they can be used with an air conditioner—so you don’t have to blast the AC. Run a ceiling fan counter-clockwise, from your position looking up at it, to create a downdraft, and make sure to turn off your fan when you leave the room. (Fans cool people, not rooms.)
Give your AC a break. Prevent hot air from seeping in by sealing the gaps around windows and doors. (Check out sealing/insulation tips from Energy Star.) Shut blinds or shades during the daytime hours to prevent the sun from cooking your home and your air conditioner from working harder to cool it. At cooler times of the day (night and morning) or on milder, less humid days, open up windows and use screens to let refreshing air come in. Clean or replace your air conditioning unit filters about once every 1-2 months during the cooling season to make sure your AC is running efficiently. If you have central air, schedule your yearly check up with the HVAC technician. (Here’s an AC maintenance guide from the Department of Energy.)
Make sure your AC is sized properly for the space to be cooled. Contrary to popular belief, a larger unit will not cool a room better. A properly-sized AC unit will be more efficient, and it will keep the space at a constant temperature and a comfortable humidity level.
Shut it down. Even when electronic devices are powered off, many are still using electricity if they are plugged in. This is called vampire power or phantom load, which can account for 25 percent of a product’s electric usage on average. Turn off and unplug extra appliances that produce more heat and make your home hotter (TV, computers, laptops, lights), and make sure to unplug your phone charger. Leaving your smartphone plugged in to a charger overnight not only wastes electricity, but it also strains the batteries over time. Turn off lights in empty rooms.
Use a smart power strip. For computers and entertainment systems a smart power strip can be helpful. These strips help you cut down energy costs associated with products that go into standby mode.
Avoid hot tasks. Delay heat-producing tasks, such as dishwashing, baking, or laundry, until the cooler night or early morning hours. (Run the dishwasher only if it’s fully loaded and turn the heated drying selection off.) Postponing heavy energy use until the night or early morning also can help you save money, if you’re on real-time pricing programs offered by Ameren and ComEd. Minimize use of your oven or stovetop. Consider grilling out to keep the kitchen from overheating and your AC from over-working. If grilling isn’t for you, make meals in the microwave.
Other cooking tips: If you do have to cook with the oven, check on your food through the oven window and try to keep the door closed. Every time the oven door is opened, the temperature inside drops, forcing the oven to exert even more energy. On the stovetop, match the size of the pot to the burners. More heat will get to the pot and less will be lost to the surrounding air. Also, clean your burners to ensure they’re working effectively.
Clean the coils on the back of your refrigerator. Also, make sure the door seals are airtight. (Close the door on a piece of paper. You should feel tension when you pull it out.)
Turn down your water heater. Lower the temperature to the warm setting (120 degrees). You can also have hot water pipe insulation installed, or cover your hot water heater with an insulating blanket.
Check out your utility’s efficiency programs. ComEd offers an online home energy assessment to all customers and an in-home assessment to income-eligible customers. Ameren offers an assessment to income-eligible customers. You can get tips for reducing your energy costs, and receive money-saving products, such as LEDs and efficient showerheads. MidAmerican offers a free online assessment. Get more information about efficiency programs from Ameren, ComEd and MidAmerican, and visit CUB’s Clean Energy page.
Buy energy-efficient appliances. The Energy Star program, managed by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), identifies appliances that reach certain energy efficiency standards. They can save you hundreds of dollars in energy bills. See a full list of products here. Some popular efficiency purchases include Refrigerators, Clothes Washers/Dryers, Smart Thermostats and Room Air Conditioners, but if you don’t have the budget for big purchases right now, stick to something simpler, like light bulbs. LEDs use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Replace the old thermostat. If you want more control of your energy bills this summer, replace your old thermostat with a programmable one. Even better, get a smart thermostat, which can cut your heating and cooling costs by up to 20 percent.
Important: Be safe! Don’t jeopardize your health to save money. A few important safety tips for times of extreme heat:
Limit outdoor exposure. Stay in an indoor, air-conditioned space. (If your home doesn’t have AC, stay with friends/family who do, or find a cooling center.) If you do go outside, go either early or late in the day, and wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
Drink plenty of water. Sip about four to eight glasses of fluids a day, but avoid alcohol or caffeine, which promotes dehydration. If you need help remembering to keep hydrating throughout the day, set up reminders on your phone. Water Reminder is a great app available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Never leave people or pets who depend on your for care unattended in vehicles. A car’s interior can heat up by 40 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour, leaving conditions dangerous or even deadly.
Take the edge off. For temporary relief, use a spray bottle filled with cool water to apply a refreshing mist on your face. Soak your feet in cool water. Place ice cubes, wrapped in a wet fabric, on your “pulse points,” where the blood vessels are close to the skin: wrists, neck, the insides of your elbows, the tops of your feet and the inside of the ankles.
Be a good neighbor. Check on family, friends and neighbors, including those most vulnerable to the heat: children, seniors and people with disabilities. Make sure they have a safe and cool place to stay. Illinois opens free cooling centers in times of extreme heat (find out where they are here and here’s a list for Cook County). Many of those are open during business hours, although Tollway Oasis locations are open 24 hours a day. If a cooling center isn’t near you, remember shopping malls, movie theaters, public libraries and the homes of friends and family can be cool places of refuge.
Additional Resources
- CUB’s Tips to Prepare Your Home for Summer and Year-Round Energy-Saving Tips.
- KeepCool.Illinois.gov has information on cooling centers in the state. It also has tips like this: During heat emergencies, seniors are urged to contact their local area agencies on Aging or the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966 for assistance with locating senior centers, adult day service sites and other buildings that serve as cooling centers.
- Department of Energy’s summer tips
- American Red Cross: Heat Wave Safety
- FindHelp.org can help you locate a wide range of assistance programs based on your Zip Code. (Also, contact charities, such as the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities, to see if they offer assistance for utility bills. Also, check with your municipality and religious institutions. And ask family and friends if they know of organizations providing assistance.)
