The summer is on and it is getting difficult to go about the regular chores of the day. If moving outdoors has become inconvenient staying indoors isn’t as easy as it seems. As home owners we are compelled to use the Air-conditioners, Coolers and Fans in higher frequency as a means to counter heat and maintain in-home comfort.

With increasing tariffs on power bills, it augurs well for home owners to have a check on their energy consumption needs in-home while ensuring there is enough cooling within the premises to ward off the unbearable heat.

Over the next few weeks as the heat catches on inside and outside of your homes, here are a few tips to ensure you save on your energy consumption –

Plug those holes and vents: This might not have crossed your mind as an ‘’important’’ factor, but then it is as important as any other factor in ensuring your home is cool and you consume lesser energy. Plug all the holes and vents, especially when you have your AC or Fans turned on because if they are not plugged cooling of your home will take longer than necessary leading to higher energy consumption. Vents and holes let off the cooler air created inside of your home to the outside and at the same time also allow the hotter air from the outside to move in.

You can seal the vents and holes with inexpensive plastic or tape and caulk the windows to ensure the environment is insulated from that outside.

Curtains and shutters down: It is important to have the curtains and shutters completely down to avoid passing of sunlight and heat from the outside to the inside. Often as home owners we undermine the importance of curtains, the curtains play an important role during seasons. During summers they restrain heat from moving inside and during winters they restrain the chill from the outside. Downing shutters and curtains help cool the home quicker and thus save on the energy consumption.

Closing doors: In homes where there are large rooms and or have higher number of rooms it makes sense to shut the doors of those rooms which are not in regular use. Cooling all the rooms in a home takes longer time leading to higher consumption of power and energy. For example, you can shut the doors to the bed rooms (or guest rooms) which are not in use while turning on the AC or fan as this ensures that only those spaces where you live get cooled quicker.

Use programmable thermostats: Take a little help from technology by installing programmable thermostats. These thermostats help adjust the temperatures inside of
your home. Higher temperatures can be maintained when you are not home thus saving on energy consumption and lower temperature can be maintained when you are at home.

Conscious power reduction: In summer, as home owners we need to consciously reduce the power needs as far as possible. Reduce the usage of water heaters, kitchen lightening and even bathroom lightening as far as possible. Lightening in rooms which are not used frequently can be completely put off to avoid additional power consumption.

One other thing is to replace your bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs which emit brighter light and consume much lesser energy. In fact, these bulbs last longer helping you save on your energy expenditure in the long-run.

Unplug electronic items: TV sets, Computers, Laptops and Mobile phones that are turned off but plugged or connected to power sockets can suck power off (also called ‘’Vampire Power’’), so it is essential to completely unplug all these electronic items when not in use. Electronic items have a way to consume more power than expected so you have to consciously avoid plugging these items.

Replace or repair electrical appliances: This is something that is very important towards not only saving power but also towards a safe and sustainable use of electrical appliances. Often times, we do not check or inspect the status of electrical appliances until it is too late. We are only reactive but not proactive in our approach. It augurs well if we have all these appliances checked well in advance to see if they need repair or even a complete replacement. Under-performing electrical appliances can consume higher amounts of energy, especially ACs and fans which can suck a lot of power.

Also, if you are to purchase new appliances, do go in for those that are rated high on energy efficiency.

Alternative cooking: Cooking on ovens not only consumes higher units of power but also immediately heats up the insides of your home which then requires your AC to work harder and longer to cool your home. Try using microwave or grill to heat up things and use ovens only when necessary. For example, ovens can be used early in the mornings when the weather outside is cooler and you will not have to switch on the AC to cool your home inside.

For home owners, who have a spacious veranda or a lawn outside, it makes for an enjoyable and energy-saving experience to take cooking outside of the homes.

Cooler showers: Do you know that cold water shower has a healthy outcome both mentally and physically? Well, here is your chance to experiment, practice cold water showers in the mornings and you will not only have great health benefits but automatically end up saving on your power bills.

Summers are difficult to deal with but then they can also be enjoyable even as they can help you save on your energy bills if you could practice a few simple tips. These tips do
not require much time or efforts, all that is required is for home owners to have a proactive approach and to put some conscious effort.