Keep Your Home Cool
This Summer
Summer sun
and heat often seem to be at war with your air conditioner, costing
you money and hurting the environment at the same time.
But there
are things you can do to make keeping your home cool during summer
months cost less and friendlier to mother nature.
One way
to stay cool is to use natural, or passive cooling instead of
an air conditioner. This is done by preventing the heat from
building up in your house in the first place.
First, the
color of your house can have a direct and significant effect
on the temperature inside. Dark colored home exteriors absorb
as much as 90 percent of radiant energy from the sun. Light colored
surfaces reflect the heat away.
Next, some
of the heat that builds up in your house comes in through the
windows. To prevent this heat source, you can use reflective
window coatings such as sun control films which reflect sunlight.
Landscaping also helps determine how hot your house gets. Shade
trees, bushes and vines not only block heat, but add to the aesthetic
value of your property. Trees that lose their leaves in the fall
are the most effective because the heat can be gained in the
winter when it's needed, while being blocked in the summer.
The plants
also provide cooling when they release water vapor during photosynthesis.
Finally,
insulating your house can also help to keep the temperature inside
under control and a breeze provided by a fan at the right time
of the day can force cool air in and the warm air out.
For more
information on keeping your house cool, visit the United States
Consumer Publications Office at www.pueblo.gsa.gov.
Other tips
for staying cool:
·
Keep appliances off
· Close drapes during the day
· Use florescent lights
