It’s summer and even though we may not want to admit it, AC is sometimes necessary. And with that in mind, the Guide to Green Living brings us a few tips for helping to keep your cooling bills to a minimum.

Avoid Heat Build-Up The best way to keep your home cool is to keep the heat out. Close drapes or blinds on windows facing the sun and avoid heat-generating activities (cooking witrh your stove, for example) on hot days or during the hottest part of the day. By reducing the amount of heat in your home, you will have to use less energy to cool it.

Use Ventilation And Circulation Instead of automatically turning on your air conditioner on hot days, try cooling your home with window and ceiling fans.

Minimum A/C Use Turn the temperature setting up a few more degrees while you’re gone to about 28° C (82° F). Also, remember to turn off your air conditioner if you’re going to be away from your home for more than a day.

Weather-Strip, Caulk And Insulate This is a simple way to prevent losing cool air from your home and prevent hot air from getting in. Don’t forget your outside wall outlets and to close your chimney flue!

Energy Efficient Cooling Systems If you’re in the market for a new cooling system, there are many new technologies that are much more efficient than older versions. Look for EnergyStar labels, and check those SEER ratings.

Use The Coolest Parts Of Your Home On hot days, parts of your house will naturally stay cooler than others. And so one way you can reduce the amount of energy used to cool your home is to do more in cooler areas of your home.

Kudos to the Guide To Green Living.