Real Green Trends

Aventura Real Estate – Do You Want to lower Your AC bills? – Go Green, Save Money and Help the Environment.

Let’s get ready for the Summer Heat

I understand that now that we are all enjoying this magnificent winter weather here in South Florida, the least we think of is reducing our AC bills. They are at their historic bottom. But, aren’t you concerned about the economy? Isn’t the first thing that we hear from financial ad visors that we must economize? So, let’s get ready and be prepared.

I know that we are not ready to give up air conditioning, perhaps our friends up North might consider it.

Suprisingly, I found a few green friendly websites offering advice on how to reduce heat emissions and tips on some money money–saving quick fixes and home improvement projects.

Why do you think we should play our part in fighting climate change?

Because each AC unit can release more than 2,200 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air every year, imagine here in the City of Aventura, with more than 30,000 inhabitants, how much we can save by just taking some basic measures.

Examine your windows

1. Check for leaks. Fill any gaps around window moldings with nontoxic caulking like Safecoat Caulking Compound ($9; dwellsmart.com).

2. Choose light–colored window treatments. Covering your windows can block as much as 40 percent of summer heat, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Pale–hued curtains or blinds can help reflect sunlight away from the house, says Katie Ackerly, coauthor of The Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings (New Society Publishers, 2007).

3. Use heat deflectors. Consider installing awnings, shutters, or reflective window film on sunny windows to further deflect heat, suggests Paul Scheckel, an energy analyst and author of The Home Energy Diet

4. Upgrade your windows. If you need to replace windows, choose Energy Star–certified ones—the DOE estimates that they can save you up to $465 a year. “But the payback period can be long, since the initial investment in new windows is pricey,” says Scheckel.

Turn off indoor sources of heat

1. Replace lightbulbs. Swap out your incandescent lightbulbs for compact fluorescents (incandescents release 90 percent of their energy as heat).

2. Give appliances a rest. Turn your dishwasher’s dry cycle to air dry, avoid using the oven, and be sure to unplug electronics you’re not using (even on standby, they generate heat).

(New Society Publishers, 2005).

Encourage airflow

7. Increase your breeze. Open downstairs windows on the side where a breeze is coming in and upstairs windows on the opposite side to create an effect called “thermosiphoning.” “Your house naturally acts like a chimney—cooler air comes in at the bottom and warm air leaves at the top,” says Scheckel. If there’s no breeze, create one with window fans.

8. Use a ceiling fan. Because it circulates air over warm skin, a ceiling fan can extend your comfort range by up to 10 degrees. Run the fan counterclockwise so it blows air down. “But turn it off when you leave the room—ceiling fans cool people, not rooms,” Ackerly advises. Landscape around the house.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 1:57 pm and is filed under Listings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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