It’s a shame we don’t all have the stamina of the greenest of the green.
Think about it: At least some of them have been known to hook up a stationary bike to a solar battery pack, pedal away, while perhaps thinking of an idyllic life in the rainforests of Brazil, while at the same time generating enough stored power to operate their kitchen appliances and computers.
Okay, so it takes 10 minutes of pedaling just to run the toaster. But hey, the point is, there’s lot of ways you might not have thought of to cut your energy bill this summer.
New dream home on sky
Here are some of more realistic options for homeowners:
• Make your yard work for you. It’s a well-known fact that strategically placed greenery can add to a house’s all-important “curb appeal.” Adding trees, shrubs, and spiffy, vine-covered trellises also happens to work wonders against the sizzling sun.
“Trees reduce bills, not just by shading your house, but by cooling the air by releasing moisture,” Asa Foss of the U.S. Green Building Council tells AARP.
• Know that ceiling fans can be your best friend. Decrease the use of electricity-gobbling air-conditioners with this simple little trick: “[Running fans] counter-clockwise will push hot air up in the summer”—your goal —“and clockwise will trap heat inside to keep your rooms warmer during cooler months,” advises U.S. News & World Report.
• Make sure your attic is properly ventilated. You might as well just send your utility company a blank check if yo
u lack what Jason Joplin, program manger of the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence, calls “a continual flow of air to help protect the efficiency of your attic’s insulation.” The offender working against achieving that? Excess moisture build-up that clings to your roof’s underside in winter from seemingly benign sources — i.e., appliances, showers, and cooking vapors — before ultimately soaking the insulation when the condensed moisture falls.
Joplin’s suggestion to help ward off the problem? A properly balanced ventilation system consisting of Cobra Ridge Vent (installed at the ridge) and Cobra IntakePro (installed at the eave) by GAF (gaf.com), North America’s leading roofing manufacturer. “Both work in tandem to allow cool, fresh air to enter at the eave edge while forcing moist, super-heated air out of the ridge vent,” he explains.
• Beware of sneaky thermostats. Your big-screen TVs all over the house are almost certainly the envy of the neighborhood, but you’re making an expensive mistake if they — or even lamps — are positioned near air conditioning thermostats. “The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary,” advises the website HomeEnergySaver.
The best advice? Move them.
Think about it: At least some of them have been known to hook up a stationary bike to a solar battery pack, pedal away, while perhaps thinking of an idyllic life in the rainforests of Brazil, while at the same time generating enough stored power to operate their kitchen appliances and computers.
Okay, so it takes 10 minutes of pedaling just to run the toaster. But hey, the point is, there’s lot of ways you might not have thought of to cut your energy bill this summer.
New dream home on sky
Here are some of more realistic options for homeowners:
• Make your yard work for you. It’s a well-known fact that strategically placed greenery can add to a house’s all-important “curb appeal.” Adding trees, shrubs, and spiffy, vine-covered trellises also happens to work wonders against the sizzling sun.
“Trees reduce bills, not just by shading your house, but by cooling the air by releasing moisture,” Asa Foss of the U.S. Green Building Council tells AARP.
• Know that ceiling fans can be your best friend. Decrease the use of electricity-gobbling air-conditioners with this simple little trick: “[Running fans] counter-clockwise will push hot air up in the summer”—your goal —“and clockwise will trap heat inside to keep your rooms warmer during cooler months,” advises U.S. News & World Report.
• Make sure your attic is properly ventilated. You might as well just send your utility company a blank check if yo
u lack what Jason Joplin, program manger of the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence, calls “a continual flow of air to help protect the efficiency of your attic’s insulation.” The offender working against achieving that? Excess moisture build-up that clings to your roof’s underside in winter from seemingly benign sources — i.e., appliances, showers, and cooking vapors — before ultimately soaking the insulation when the condensed moisture falls.
Joplin’s suggestion to help ward off the problem? A properly balanced ventilation system consisting of Cobra Ridge Vent (installed at the ridge) and Cobra IntakePro (installed at the eave) by GAF (gaf.com), North America’s leading roofing manufacturer. “Both work in tandem to allow cool, fresh air to enter at the eave edge while forcing moist, super-heated air out of the ridge vent,” he explains.
• Beware of sneaky thermostats. Your big-screen TVs all over the house are almost certainly the envy of the neighborhood, but you’re making an expensive mistake if they — or even lamps — are positioned near air conditioning thermostats. “The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary,” advises the website HomeEnergySaver.
The best advice? Move them.