When summer hits, the electricity bills tend to swing upward, but there are a few ways you can cool your home and save money.
While natural ventilation can help to cool, it works best when it is supplemented with spot ventilation. This helps to avoid heat buildup in the home. Ceiling fans and window fans are perfect examples of this.
DTE experts say there are three basic ventilation strategies that will help to alleviate costs while keeping your home cool this summer:
1. Natural ventilation
If you can open windows to create a cross breeze, this will be the simplest way to create natural ventilation, as it can help to avoid heat buildup during the day. You can also avoid doing things like cooking, laundry and dishwashing during the hottest parts of the day, DTE experts say.
When possible, turn off air conditioning during cooler mornings and nights and open windows.
2. Spot ventilation
Circulating fans -- ceiling fans, floor fans, table fans or mounted fans -- are a great way to create a wind chill effect that can create a more comfortable environment in your home, even if it’s in addition to natural ventilation or air conditioning. This can include exhaust fans like those used in kitchen ranges and bathrooms. Window fans are also a great option to provide sufficient cooling for homes and they use relatively little electricity, according to DTE.
Spot ventilation can help to keep you a little cooler on hot days, but because they keep people cool -- not rooms -- remember to turn them off when you leave a room.
3. Whole-house ventilation
A whole-house ventilation system uses one or more fans and duct systems to lower indoor temperatures. It does this by pulling air through the windows and exhausting it through the home’s attic and roof.
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