Lowering Your Summer Electricity Bill

MarketWatch's Marshall Loeb Offers Some Eco-Friendly Tips On How To Keep Your Cool

(MarketWatch)  This summer, the average household's electricity usage will jump. Many people can thank their air conditioners for this. In an attempt to keep their houses cool, they blast the AC which, in turn, causes a run up in their electricity usage.

This summer, keeping your house cool is important, but there are smarter ways to do it than just blasting the AC. From the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non profit group whose objective is to halt global warming, here are some tips for how to keep your house cool:

Don't turn on the AC. If you can get away with not using the AC this summer, you will keep your electricity costs way down. There are other good alternatives: Close the shades or use an awning to keep the direct sun out.

If you must use an air conditioner, choose one room for it. Make sure to size the air conditioner properly by knowing your room dimensions. Rather than cooling your entire house, it will cool the room you spend the most time in or the one that gets the hottest.

Don't underestimate the power of trees. If you can, plant trees in places where your house gets the most direct sunlight. Trees in the right place can save up to 25% of a typical household's energy used for cooling by providing shade. One more testament to the power of trees is that tree shaded neighborhoods are cooler than treeless ones on summer days. So think about what goes on outside of your house, to cool the insides.

Check those bulbs. Compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) are more efficient than incandescent bulbs. They are up to four times more efficient, and last about ten times longer. They also use more than 50% less energy than incandescent ones.

[patriot12436]

1. If you hve kids then you have to cool more than one room.
2. Pulling shades is a good idea.
3. the incandescent bulbs cost a lot more to buy than regular bulbs and are made in China, so if you buy them you are outsourcing jobs to China.
4. Trees are a good idea but to be effective you have to wait for them to grow enough to provide shade, about 20 years, unless you can afford to buy and plant large trees. if you have money to do this then you shouldn''t have to worry about your electric bill for the summer.

[slim1h2o]

Are you listening Al Gore?

I hope you can fit all your possessions into one room.

Not really very good or do-able suggestions, for most people.