This week into next is going to be a hot one for the Pacific Northwest.  Many homes, particularly older ones, don’t have central air conditioning.

If you do, you can still save some valuable kilowatts with some careful management of your energy.  Here are some ways to keep your home from overheating:

Keep the air moving – open doors and windows on all 4 sides of the house to encourage air movement.

Use fans – especially ceiling fans — to get the air moving in the hottest parts of the day.

Keep the doors and windows open late into the evening – then shut them for the night.  This will help trap cool air inside the house overnight, and is safer than leaving doors and windows open when everyone is asleep.

Shade the morning and afternoon sun.  Use blinds that let air flow but reflect the sun in the openings on the east side of the house till mid morning to keep the direct sunlight from heating up rooms and objects on that side of the house at the start of the day.  Then do the same for the west side of the house in the late afternoon.

Amazing the difference this little change can make!

For more tips, check out this article at www.oregonlive.com