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WHAT'S NEW
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10 power-saving tips for summer
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Cut your energy bill and give the planet a break with easy ways to reduce your home energy use during the warmest days of the year.
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By Tammy Sutherland
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5. Consider ceiling fans
Ceiling fans cost about 15 cents a day to run and a portable fan costs double that. Here are a few quick tips from Walton on how to best use your ceiling fans:
- They should be installed with the blades at least 30 cm below the ceiling, 200 cm from the floor and 60 cm from the nearest wall.
- To create a cooling breeze, the air should be moving down from the ceiling in the summer. To achieve this, make sure the fan is rotating in a counter-clockwise direction.
- Fans don't actually cool a room -- they circulate the air to keep you cool. So turn the fans off when you leave. (It'll save you even more money.)
6. Insulate your attic
Insulation may sound like a winter word, but a properly insulated attic not only keeps the warm air in during the colder months, it also keeps the warm air out during the summer. Whether you're replacing old insulation or just topping up existing insulation, this household upgrade can save you some cash. "A typical topping up can lead to savings of $20 to $70 per year," says Walton. Not sure if it's the right route for you? Direct Energy can help you make that decision -- they offer free estimates to homeowners.
7. Caulk and weather-strip your home
Ever felt a cold draft in the middle of February but had no idea where it was coming from? Well you can bet that the cold air is headed in the other direction during the summer. "The average home has enough cracks and leaks in it that, if added up, would be a hole about the size of a basketball in the wall," says Walton. If you're handy with a caulking gun, fill in some of those spots yourself, or hire a professional to do the job. You could save yourself up to $150 per year.
8. Unplug your electronics
In our daily lives, we use computers and hand vacuums and gaming systems and more. But all these home devices or "vampire electronics" can suck up to 40 per cent of their total energy consumption when you turn them off but don't unplug them. Here are Walton's tips for dealing with these energy suckers:
- When you're not charging your cell phone or MP3 player, unplug the charger.
- If you're headed out of town on vacation, unplug major appliances such as the dishwasher, microwave and stove. (Bonus -- you'll know for sure that you didn't leave the stove on!)
- When not in use, turn off all computers and monitors. If you're only putting them in sleep mode, they're still using energy.
- Use an energy-efficient power bar that stops drawing electricity from electronics when it's switched off, like the Smart Strip Power Strip
9. Keep lighting compact
When you run out of your old light bulbs, buy compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs to replace them. CFLs use two-thirds less energy than incandescent light bulbs and last a whole lot longer. They also generate less heat, which helps to keep your house cooler. Replacing six incandescent bulbs with six CFL bulbs saves you more than $60 a year.
10. Hang your clothes out to dry
Why heat up the house and add to your energy bill by running the dryer when Mother Nature provides plenty of sunshine and wind to get the job done? Sometimes the best "new" ideas for helping to save the planet are of the old-fashioned variety.
What do you do to cut energy costs at home? Click the Feedback microphone icon to share your energy-saving tips.
Check out 30 tips for eco-friendly living for more ways to be green all year through.
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