Summer Cooling Tips

1. Keep shades closed during daylight hours. Sunny windows can account for 40 percent of unwanted heat and can make your air conditioner work two to three times harder.

2. Cleaning and replacing air conditioning filters monthly allows the system to run more efficiently. There are grants available to help you replace your old inefficient A/C, whether central air or window units, with a more energy efficient model, thus using less energy.

3. Install ceiling fans. Moving air over the body provides a cooling effect. The use of ceiling fans can mean savings of around 25% on cooling costs and can make the temperature seem 10 degrees cooler. Make sure ceiling fans are blowing downward (in a counter-clockwise direction) to send air past your body.

4. Turn off your furnace pilot light in the summer when it's not being used to save energy.

5. Close your fireplace damperers and any doors or covers. Keep the cool air inside the house and out of the chimney.

6. Run appliances with large energy use (such as a dishwasher) late in the evening. When used during the day, these appliances produce additional heat, causing your air conditioner to work harder.

7. Turn up your thermostat. Keeping the setting at a higher temperature or program it to go up when you leave for work. Raising the thermostat from 22 to 26 degrees can mean savings of up to 15% in cooling costs. You can program your thermostat to do this for you or you can sign up for PeakSaver which will do it for you.

8. Consider using a clothesline to hang and dry your laundry.

9. Turn off heat-generating devices. Lighting using incandescent light bulbs and various electronices generate a lot of heat. Turn off the lights, and shut down electronics when you're not using it!

10. Make your own healthy popsicles. Keep cool with delicious icy homemade treats! Check out your local farmers market for the best options for seasonal fruits and flavours.