I spent the weekend in blistering 90 plus degree weather with humidity that seemed Amazonian. It was a fun filled weekend of sports activities (softball and basketball). I felt like I was going to have a heatstroke during each athletic event. We made it through our first 90 degree days, and July is on the horizon! Let the good times roll. Here are some tips for beating the heat at home and saving a little energy at the same time:

1. Turn off incandescent lights They produce more heat than light. Compact fluorescent bulbs are cooler. Also turn off computers when they are not in use. Not only does leaving a computer on waste electricity, but in the day of Kilowatt power supplies, they produce a lot of heat.
2. Cook with small appliances Slow cookers, microwave ovens and electric frying pans are more efficient than the stove and won’t heat up the kitchen as much. I love my slow cooker. My wife and I don’t have to slave after work to prepare meals. Not only will this save you from the heat, you can cook a meal that will last for a 5 to 7 days that can cost less than $10. That’s almost $1 a meal per person. Look for a post about slow cookers in the future.
3. Use vent fans properly Run them long enough to exhaust hot air from the kitchen or bathroom, but don’t run them unnecessarily. They will pull air conditioned air from the house.
4. Keep vents clear Make sure furniture, drapes, stacks of magazines and other obstructions don’t block the flow of cool air from an air conditioner.
5. Max out the cool night air Open the windows at night and use the box fan or exhaust fan to pull cool air through the house/apartment instead of running the air conditioner. In the morning, close the windows to keep cool air in and pull the drapes to keep the hot sun out. If you have no air conditioner, keep windows open a bit.
6. Set the ceiling fan properly Fans keep you cool by moving air against your skin. The usual advice for ceiling fans is to switch them to reverse in winter, to gently mix heated and and cooler air, and set them on forward in summer, to blow directly down. But it will depend on your room’s shape and size and where you usually sit or sleep. Experiment to see what setting makes you feel cooler and allows you to use less air conditioning.

For more advice go to Keep Cool Illinois - Energy Savings Tips