Yuma, Arizona (NAPSI) - When it comes to keeping your home comfortable, you can keep your cool—and more of your cold cash—if you heed these nine hints:
1. Don’t cool an empty house. Keep your house warmer than normal when you are away, and lower the thermostat setting to 78° F only when you are at home and need cooling. A programmable thermostat can make it easy.
2. Don’t try to cool the house faster with a colder-than-normal setting. It doesn’t work that way and could result in unnecessary expense.
3. Be a fan of fans. A ceiling fan will let you raise the air conditioner setting about 4° F with no reduction in comfort. Just remember to turn it off when you leave the room. Fans cool people, not places. Consider installing fans in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room, and be sure they’re vented to the outside.
4. Don’t let your cooling dollars go out the window. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “A good way to keep your house cool in the summer is to shade it from the outside...any way that stops the sun before it gets through the glass is seven times as good at keeping you cool as blinds or curtains on the inside.” Solar screening is just such an outside sun barrier, with specially designed yarns for strength and a tight weave for better shading ability. Sun control screens work with the window open or closed, offering daytime privacy while reducing the chances of drapes and furniture fading. Just like conventional fiberglass screening, these screens offer excellent insect protection, even against tiny pests, are easy to see out of, and let air flow in well when the window is open. Using the same method as standard insect screening, Phifer’s Sun Control Products can be installed by a professional or the homeowners themselves as a screen on the outside of the window or in a porch application. The screens block 65 to 90 percent of solar heat and glare before they enter the glass for a more comfortable indoor temperature, more efficient air-conditioning and energy conservation. In fact, studies have shown that shaded windows can save up to 25 percent of the cost of air-conditioning when compared to unshaded windows. These shading fabrics are woven with either fiberglass or vinyl-coated polyester yarns, and many have Microban® antimicrobial product protection to inhibit the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew. Phifer Sun Control Products come in a range of colors, including black, beige, brown, gray, stucco, rattan and bronze, to complement the appearance of the home.
5. Don’t let your thermostat be fooled by lamps or TV sets nearby. It will sense the heat these appliances give off and “think” the whole house is warmer than it is.
6. It’s a bright idea to use efficient lighting that runs cooler than incandescent bulbs.
7. Keep hot air from leaking in. Caulk and weather-strip to seal air leaks around doors and windows.
8. Use heat-related appliances sparingly. Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. Consider air-drying both.
9. Stay out of hot water. Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120° F). Take short showers instead of baths.
Learn More
You can find further facts at http://phifer.com/suncontrol/exterior. Ready to buy now? Click here: http://phifer.com/wheretobuy. Watch Solar Screening testimonial here. How does it work? Click here.
