mama2cntrykids Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I'm trying to get ideas so that we can keep our electric bill down this summer. We have central air and last year our bill was high. I have a really hard time sleeping and being motivated if I'm too hot. Plus, we'll have a newborn in a couple of weeks and I don't think she'll tolerate the heat too well. So, what do *you* do to keep your cooling cost down?? Thanks a bunch!:bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Oh, and stone walls 18" thick. Can be chilly in winter though. When we lived in Hong Kong, I took lots of cold showers. Standing in the shower and letting it play on my armpits really helped. When the boys were small, I'd often run a cool bath for them in the afternoon, so they could play with their bath toys and get out of the heat for a bit. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) When our A/C is on the fritz... If it gets cooler in the wee morning hours right before sunrise, then get up and open all of the windows during that time. Then be sure to close them before it heats up. Avoid using the dryer or the oven. Take a cool bath in the middle of the day. Go somewhere that has AC lol (store, library, mom's house) Edited May 17, 2011 by Lovedtodeath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 During the summer months, we keep our windows closed day and night. The nights are too humid and make the house stuffy. We run the house fan to keep air circulating. Dh is very sensitive to heat (even if the rest of us are not warm), and he will often run a fan in our bedroom at night to keep cool air moving over him. IF you live in an arid climate, you might want to look into a swamp cooler, portable or otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkistone Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Always keep ceiling fans (or oscillating) on; it helps make the temp feel cooler than it is. You can also try spritzing yourself with water mist and stand under/in front of a fan. Keep your curtains/blinds closed (or at least keep your blinds slanted down toward outside so that the sun doesn't come in) Have an energy efficiency audit done to detect where leaks are occuring. Caulk around windows to prevent cool air from leaking out Plant big trees to shade your house (but not too close to your foundation! 15-20 ft away) hope that helps! ps-- i'm in Texas, and it get H-O-T here in the summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 We live in a fairly dry climate and the temperature drops at night. We leave windows that I feel safe having open most of the night and run fans. My DH gets up early for work and shuts the windows depending on how hot it is going to be. We also have a basement that is underground(no walkout) and hang out there if it gets really hot. Libraries are air conditioned and free.... I have bought those lined drapes from Walmart and hung them in a couple of the bedrooms and those help. As I can afford it, I'll be hanging them in the other bedroom and on the main floor. We also have a lot of mature trees and that seems to help. We also had much cooler summers after we left Kansas for Colorado. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Some basic things: Check your ceiling insulation. It can make a HUGE difference, esp. if you run ceiling fans which will just pull the heat down to where you are. Check to see if your attic has ventilation while you're up there. Your house needs to release the heat that builds up, esp if your ducts run through the attic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 We keep thick curtains closed all the time in south facing windows. Otherwise, the house really heats up. We spend time in the basement and stop using the dryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 If you live in a place that gets cool at night, consider a whole house fan like these: http://www.trianglefans.com/whole-house-fans.php This is the best reviewed whole house fan I've found. From what I've read, it's better (and quieter) to go with a larger fan you can run on low. We were going to get one last year, but a sick kitty used up our budgeted allowance. Maybe this year, though I'm skeptical at this point that we're ever going to get a spring much less summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Some good ideas. We're in MN, so it get's humid here in the summer. I think it'll work to open windows early in the am and close them before it gets too hot and keep the blinds drawn. Anything else no one has mentioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flobee76 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 When we first moved into the house, DH installed an attic fan and a whole house fan. The attic fan is set to turn on when the attic air reaches a certain temperature. It kicks on and then blows the hot air OUT. At night, we open up all the windows and turn on the whole house fan. This one sounds like a jet engine, but it sucks all the cool air in from the outside, then blows all the hot air out. It is a good idea to invest in insulated curtains or window treatments. That has helped SOOOO MUCH for our home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 If you live in a place that gets cool at night, consider a whole house fan like these: http://www.trianglefans.com/whole-house-fans.php This is the best reviewed whole house fan I've found. From what I've read, it's better (and quieter) to go with a larger fan you can run on low. We were going to get one last year, but a sick kitty used up our budgeted allowance. Maybe this year, though I'm skeptical at this point that we're ever going to get a spring much less summer. We have a whole house fan, and we love it. Every morning and every night, you whoosh cool fresh air into the house! Yeah, our summer seems to have been canceled too. It looks like January out there; usually it would be in the 90s by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Expulsion, exclusion, and containment. We live in an area that is inland but still has ocean effects. That means that most nights it cools off overnight. We have many windows open in the evening once it's hotter inside than outside, and sometimes we run a fan as well. We leave windows open all night in the bedrooms, although not in the rest of the house for security reasons. When we get up, if it's still cooler outside than inside, we open everything back up again until it warms up outside. That's the expulsion. For exclusion, we keep the shades and drapes closed to keep sun out and to insulated the house during the day. This makes for a gloomy place, though. We also never use the oven when it's hot. I have a Sun Oven, and sometimes use that if I want something slow cooked. My mother used to use an electric frying pan outside. These have the advantage that they keep smells outside as well as heat. Barbequing is also attractive for that reason. For containment, when it's really hot I keep the doors to the kitchen closed. That way the heat from the fridge doesn't go into the other rooms as much. Also we only run the dishwasher and the clothes dryer in the middle of the night. If I happen to wake up at 3 AM for some reason, I have been known to get up and move laundry around to get in another load while it's cool outside. This helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I'm trying to get ideas so that we can keep our electric bill down this summer. We have central air and last year our bill was high. I have a really hard time sleeping and being motivated if I'm too hot. Plus, we'll have a newborn in a couple of weeks and I don't think she'll tolerate the heat too well. So, what do *you* do to keep your cooling cost down?? Thanks a bunch!:bigear: :rofl::smilielol5: Oh, wait. You were serious, huh? Personally, no matter what steps I've taken to try to mitigate high cooling bills I still end up paying around $500/month in the heat of the summer. We installed a high efficiency A/C last summer, replaced many of the windows downstairs, have blinds, increased the insulation, keep the ceiling fans running, etc, etc, etc. Nothing really seems to work. I just try to save up what I can during the non-hellish months and hope it's enough. A lot will depend on where you live as well. Where I live summer lasts from April through September and we usually have many days of over 100*, especially in July and August. In fact, there's a saying: Central TX has 3 seasons: hot, hotter, July & August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 We have central air and use it but...... we set the thermostat at about 76 and also have ceiling fans that run and when at all possible we open the window and turn the air off when the sun goes down. We still have a power bill that is higher than in winter but not like it would be without those. We have to keep it reasonably cool because our oldest sons body doesn't self regulate well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I am glad you asked this! Two months ago I would say I lived in the PacNW so for the ten days during the summer when it is really hot (close to 100) we just use the A/C. Now that I live in the desert I am a little concerned about what it will cost to keep it cool enough to function and continue to school year-round. I hope it cools down enough at night to take PPs advice and open up the house at night to cool it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) We installed radiant heat barrier in our attic, it has really helped. Also, having a newer AC until keeps cooling costs lower. ETA: Our AC runs from April through the end of October and the electricity bill averages $275-$300 per month during those months. Our heating bill is around $70 a month. Edited May 17, 2011 by Sheldon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Here in Melbourne we get a very dry heat. I use ceiling fans all the time, we spray ourselves with water when it's really hot, I take cool showers, the kids have cool baths. We have wisteria vines on the sunny side of the house which keeps the sun out of the house, but I also close the curtains because the heat radiates through the glass, even without direct sun. At night when it cools down I open every window and door to let the cool air in, we also have security screens on every door so that they can stay open overnight. On the really hot days I cook outside on the BBQ or have something that doesn't require cooking like smoked chicken and salad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Some good ideas. We're in MN, so it get's humid here in the summer. I think it'll work to open windows early in the am and close them before it gets too hot and keep the blinds drawn. Anything else no one has mentioned? We're in Ohio and, while it doesn't get much hotter than 90-95 in the high heat of summer, the humidity is killer. That said, I don't have a good answer yet. lol I refuse to install the window A/C units this year, so we're back to ceiling fans, box fans, and oscillating stand/tower fans. In our 100+ year old house with no insulation to speak of. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 They don't do air conditioning here. I open the doors and windows on the windy side of the house and the door and windows on the opposite side and air flows through nicely. It helps that we always always have a breeze here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Very high electric bills! =( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 We added solar attic fans to our roof last year. Adding better ventilation to our roof brought our upstairs temperature down by 3F with no other changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 thermal drapes and ceiling fans. I love my AC though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 We don't have air, so that helps keep costs down. :001_smile: As far as keeping the house cool. Keep the sun out. Don't turn on anything that creates heat. Fans in the windows on full blast. We live in the basement in the summer. It's the only place that is bearable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 We have a house fan that sucks some of the hot air out. We don't use the oven when its hot. We have ceiling fans. We have an ac, but it stays at 72. We have allergies so I minimize how much the windows are open. Crisp, cotton sheets. Cool showers. Lots of water to drink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Wear less clothing, plan shopping trips to stores when it gets too hot to cool down, keep popsicles in the freezer, let the kids play in the hose/kiddie pool, make more progress on sewing projects in the basement. Don't use the oven! Make cold salads or smoothies for dinner. This summer we're going no air because of dh's layoff and the whole new regime of "Save, scrimp, and pinch the pocket book until it bleeds." I figure we'll adjust or go around naked most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.