Every year, American homeowners spend about $15 billion on energy costs associated with air conditioning – and a lot of the energy is used in hot climates like the Savannah, Georgia area. While air conditioning will probably remain the foundation of your summer home comfort strategy, you can reduce the need for air conditioning in your home by focusing on improvements that keep your home cooler naturally. Consider these steps:
- Seal and insulate your home. Heat can come into your home in a variety of ways. It can be carried by warm air through cracks, especially cracks around windowsills and doors. And it can also “soak” through walls and roofs. Sealing air leaks, and adding insulation which slows heat transfer, can reduce the need for air conditioning by lowering heat gain.
- Upgrade to high-efficiency appliances. Incandescent light bulbs, old refrigerators, and tank water heaters which keep water hot all day can heat your house from within. Consider upgrading to high-efficiency appliances.
- Use cooling exterior finishes. Light-colored paint can reflect heat away from your home, and reflective or heat-scattering roofing options prevent heat gain through roof and attic areas. Solar roofing can also turn the heat and light that falls on your home into productive energy and help offset air conditioning costs.
- Use window treatments. Shading windows through landscaping, shades, blinds, curtains, shutters or reflective films keeps heat from coming in through your windows and can save you a significant amount of money.
- Use air movement and ventilation to improve cooling. A ceiling fan can not only cool you off using the wind chill effect, but when it’s circulating air downward, it’s displacing the cool air that tends to pool at your feet. That means a more full-body cooling experience.
To learn more about how to keep reduce the need for air conditioning and keep your home comfort high and your energy costs low, contact us today at McDevitt Air.
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