Green practices for heating and cooling your home

In most homes, one of the biggest energy expenses comes from the need to heat and cool things. From the internal temperature of your house to the water for your shower, turning energy into daily comforts is not a simple process (nor a cheap one). So it might be a good idea to think about clever ways you can do these same things without putting your air conditioner or heater on full blast.

Getting Creative

My family and I took a trip to Walt Disney World near the end of summer. We spent our first day in Hollywood Studios, and it was incredibly hot. There also isn’t nearly as much shade there as the other parks, and my kids, getting tired of standing in lines all day, often begged me to carry them. I’m a sucker, so I did. The added effort was exhausting. Each time we walked into a building, we were hit with a refreshing (though jarring) blast of cool air. I couldn’t help but wonder what it cost to cool those rooms, especially those that had their large doors always open to the outside. I know, I know. Thinking about air conditioning costs while on a family trip to Walt Disney World isn’t very cool... (see what I did there?)

When we were outside those buildings—which was most of the time—I had to come up with clever ways to keep myself somewhat comfortable. I came up with my most clever idea while eating lunch. I had several cups of iced water. When I’d finished drinking them, I combined the leftover ice into one cup, poked a few holes in the bottom, and stuffed the cup into the neckline of my shirt where it was suspended by the lip. Voila. Drip cup.

As we walked about the park, the ice slowly melted and the cool water soaked into my shirt. I looked ridiculous. But it also absolutely worked and the summer day went from blistering to solely inconvenient.

Clever at Home

Other than showing off my engineering skills, the purpose of that story was to illustrate there are solutions out there hidden behind the convenience of daily living. When we are at home, it is simpler to enjoy air-conditioning and hot water and complain about the bill than it is to find a solution. So one challenge to you if you want to find clever ways to cool your home, turn off your air-conditioning system for a week. You’ll probably think of something. But here are some of our own ideas to help you out.

Cooling off

During the hot summers, your home will be the most uncomfortable as the day becomes evening since the sun has had the entire day to work on heating your home. So, while people often think opening windows to get some air in is a good way to cool off, that air is hot and probably won’t do you much good. Instead, turn on a fan. It will circulate air like your HVAC, but it’s a lot cheaper when it isn’t cooled.

Moving warm air still won’t make much of a difference. Fun fact, sweat isn’t cool when you produce it, so it doesn’t do much to cool your body just by being on you. Instead, it’s the process of your sweat drying up that does the most to cool you down. When water evaporates, it takes a good amount of heat with it. So once you have the fan pushing some air around, try spritzing yourself with some water. It won’t take much to feel a huge difference. You might even invest in a little spray bottle just for this purpose. Later, when the sun goes down, you can open those windows and let all the warm air that’s trapped inside and trade it for the cooler stuff outside. The colder air will circulate through your house while you sleep, but remember to close those windows when you wake up again.

Finally, keep your blinds closed. Light from the sun is very efficient at warming things up. So if you have some thick blinds or curtains, they can prevent a lot of that heat from building up indoors.

Warming up

When I was a teen living in Washington state, the power went out for a week. It was winter. It was cold. And we were miserable. We pulled together every blanket, sweater, and sock in the house and convened in the living room to sleep near each other. I think we were hoping to earn some body heat bonus points by being close. While the utility company was hard at work fixing power lines, we turned on our gas fireplace. I don’t know why, but it did nothing to warm us. I would sit by it all day and it didn’t improve my situation more than simply breathing on my own hands. Still, assuming you’re not enduring a week-long power outage during winter in the North, there are some really easy ways to keep yourself snug. And it’s easier than staying cool.

Bundle up. Invest a little money into blankets, sweaters, and plenty of hot-cocoa mugs. Maybe even get a big dog. They radiate heat and a lot of them love to cuddle.

For water, an electric kettle might also come in handy. That way you’re only heating up a small amount of water compared to a giant tank. And electricity is more efficient than gas. Of course, you’re not going to get a warm bath from a kettle of water. (Well, you could. But it would take a really long time.) And we’re not saying to go completely “Ol’ West” here. But leaning more on these solutions than on your heater could take the edge off your electric bill. And if you aren’t willing to go that far, consider just turning down the temperature on your water heater. It’s often much higher than is comfortable.

So, if you are looking for ways to lower your energy cost and be a little more “green,” these are some simple habits that will help get you there. Alternatively, you could replace how you get your energy with something cleaner. (We’re partial to solar.) If you come up with any other ways to cool off in the summer or stay warm in the winter without putting the burden on your HVAC system, let us know on social media!