Looking forward to kids being out of school, vacation, and enjoying the sunny weather after this very wet and cold winter? Before you relax into the warmth, make sure your home is ready.
If you felt air leaking into your house during the winter, now is the time to fix those leaks. Check the places where pipes enter your home, wall sockets on outer walls, attic areas and crawl spaces and fill in gaps with spray foam or weatherstripping.
As summer approaches, it’s a good idea to remember that many heating systems also have a cooling function and maintenance is necessary for keeping things running smoothly and efficiently. Cleaning or replacing the filter will help keep your heat pump performing well whether it’s moving hot or cold air.
If your heating system lacks a cooling component, then prepare differently. For you, this is the time to clean and pack space heaters away in the attic or garage, and bring in the electric fans. Check the cords for cracks and breaks, clean them off, and then see if they work.
If you’re in the market for new fans, look for Energy Star models to save on operating costs. Of course, fans don’t make the air colder, they simply move it around. As the breeze blows over your skin, it can make you feel several degrees cooler.
While you’re thinking about fans, check the ceiling unit. Ceiling fans can cool you down with little impact on your energy use. If the fan has a light fixture, make sure to switch out the bulbs for LEDs, which light for a long time at a low cost. They create almost no heat. Other types of light bulbs can get very hot when on, which isn’t helpful when it’s too warm inside.
Air conditioning, whether part of your HVAC system, or a separate portable unit, can keep a home cool. Turning the temperature up a few degrees when you’re not home, or turning off a portable unit when you’re away for longer stretches, helps keep the costs of cooling down.
Other simple tips that can keep the inside temperature down are to close the drapes, blinds or shutters during the day when it’s hottest out. In the early mornings and evenings when it cools down, open the windows.
Open windows, however, can present a possible safety hazard and could provide access to your home. Most burglars enter homes through unlocked windows and doors, according to FBI crime statistics. So stay alert and weigh your comfort against your safety.
Remember that screens are not strong enough to prevent a fall from a window. Make sure that access to open windows is blocked so small children can’t get close.
It’s also a good time to take a longer view of cooling your home with shade. Planting a deciduous tree on the south or southeast side of your home blocks the morning sunlight and helps keep it from heating up inside. Vine maples, Rocky Mountain maples, and red alder are good choices. Just make sure that you plant the right tree in the right place and never plant trees that will grow tall under or around power lines. For a list of trees that can be safely planted near power lines, visit www.ClarkPublicUtilities.com.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
