Energy Efficiency and Your Home

Energy Efficient Cooling

Deciduous shade trees planted to the east and west of your home can cut cooling costs by 15-30%. Planting trees as a wind break can lower your heating bills by 10-20%. Planting shade trees over sidewalks and concrete areas help cool the entire neighborhood.
Courtesy: National Arbor Day Foundation

During the summer (and in warmer climates) air conditioning is frequently the largest consumer of electricity. An inexpensive way to reduce the demand on your air conditioner is to keep your attic cooler with a solar attic fan. Powered by the sun, solar attic fans turn on when your attic warms up during the day. By venting the hot air out of your attic all day long, the floors below stay cooler and as a result your air conditioner runs significantly less.

Solar attic fans can be installed by good do-it-yourselfers or carpenters. They require no wiring. A hole needs to be cut in the roof, the attic fan is slipped in and the edges are sealed up well with roof caulking. The solar electric panel built into the fan unit is designed to last at least 25 years. A solar attic fan is another wise investment that pays for itself very quickly.

For people who live in zones that are relatively dry but hot, evaporative coolers (also known as swamp coolers) are a cost effective and energy efficient alternative to traditional air conditioners. Evaporative coolers use about 25% the energy an air conditioner would need. Unfortunately, most people live in climates that when it's hot it is also relatively humid. In these conditions evaporative coolers won't work effectively.

Another simple and green method for reducing your home's air conditioning costs is to plant deciduous trees whose leaves will shade your home in the summer time and shed its leaves for more sunlight in the winter time. By shading your home it heats up less, and therefore requires less cooling by an air conditioner. Planting a tree in this scenario has double the environmental impact, you're reducing greenhouse gases by both using less electricity and because the tree itself absorbs carbon dioxide.

Energy Efficiency and Household Appliances

Many other appliances throughout your household will have a newer and significantly more energy efficient version available. Here is a short list of other appliances you should consider replacing with higher efficiency versions: water heating tanks, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, telephones, VCRs and DVDs, ceiling fans, fax machines, computers and copiers. To see which brands and models have Energy Star certification and to figure which ones of those are the most efficient, visit Energy Star's website: www.EnergyStar.gov. To find out how much your appliances are really consuming, invest in an inexpensive power meter like the Kill-A-Watt meter.