It's pretty hot in here at the moment, temperatures reach up to 36 degrees celsius, heat records are being broken all around the world. A lot of people I know are buying air-conditioners for the first time in their lives. I'm not a big fan of these machines, but with temperatures like these I realise we need them simply to get work done. Here are a few tips to use them responsibly (thanks to Dailyecotips).

  • Thermal Curtains- These are a great solution to keep heat sources, like sunlight, from entering your house. For those on a budget you can just put these in the rooms that get the most sunlight. If you don’t want to go and buy new curtains and have heavy curtains you put up in the winter, they will work just as well.

  • Blinds- If you have blinds up closing them will help to keep most of the sunlight out of your house and keep the house cooler during the day.

  • AC Itself- Turn it off when you are not in the house to enjoy it. This seems like a simple tip but letting it run while you are not in the house uses energy that you don’t enjoy. Also if you are home alone and have window units, only keep the one on in the room that you are in. This will save energy cost and keep you comfortable.

  • Blankets- It doesn’t seem possible that I would be talking about blankets and heat but it does happen. Instead of turning the air conditioning down so much at night, use a lighter blanket and you can turn the temperature up and save on energy.

  • Maintenance- Clean your air conditioner if you have central air. Upgrade to an Energy Star unit if you have window units. This will keep your wallet and the Earth happy.

  • Shade- When considering where to put your air conditioning unit, make sure that they are in the shade. This will keep the air conditioner from having to work so hard and will not use as much energy.


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