By ACSET Community Action Agency
Most people think about weatherizing their home when the weather gets cold. But what about when it gets hot? Weatherization can keep hot air out, trap cool air in and lower your energy costs in the summer months, too!
Here are five tips to keep your home cooler and your bills lower this summer:
- Dehumidify. Humidity makes your home feel hotter. Use exhaust fans when showering and cooking to decrease the humidity in your home.
- Avoid the oven. Using indoor appliances, like the oven, will make it even hotter in your home. On very hot days, use an outdoor grill to cook hot meals.
- Let cool air in. If the nighttime brings cooler air, open the windows overnight. Close them in the morning to trap the cool air inside. Close the blinds to keep the sun out during the day.
- Turn fans off when you’re gone. Fans cool people by moving heat away from our bodies. However, fans do not cool rooms. Don’t waste electricity — turn the fan off when you leave the room.
- Get a professional energy audit. An energy audit is an assessment of your home’s energy use and loss. Weatherization specialists look for drafts, check the home’s insulation and evaluate appliance efficiency. Once the home has been assessed, a specific plan can be developed to decrease energy loss.
ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) provides professional energy audits and weatherization services for low-income households through the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The average home saves around 30% on their energy costs after receiving weatherization services from ACSET CAA.
WAP services are provided at no cost to eligible households. To find out if you qualify contact ACSET CAA at 616.336.2228.
Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org
