A Greener Life

After patiently waiting (and waiting and waiting) it seems summer has decided to arrive right on schedule with sunshine (!) and temperatures above 25 degrees (!) and that humidity thing we just can’t seem to escape in the GTA. And all of this means one thing: power usage is going to sky rocket as people crank up their air conditioners. Don’t do it! Here are a few easy ways to stay cooler as the temperatures (finally) heat up:

• Keep your curtains closed during the day. (That’s a fairly no brainer tip, but it really will help keep the sun from turning your living room - or bedroom - into a sauna).

• Use a programmable thermostat to save some cash and ensure you’re not wasting energy to cool your home when no one is in (and the cat or dog don’t count - they’ll be fine with it set a few degrees higher). Set it to 28 degrees while you’re away and program it to move to a more comfortable 25 just before you’re expected home. REMEMBER: Air Conditioners cool people, not houses.

• Sign up for peaksaver and you can get $75 in gift cards. A small device will be installed near your central air conditioner to reduce its electricity use during peak times (usually on hot summer afternoons, never on weekends or statutory holidays). You likely won’t notice the difference.

• And finally, why not be kinder to the earth by setting the thermostat a little higher in the summer. If it’s 32 outside, it’s still going to feel cool inside if the A/C is set to 26. Leave it at 22 or 23 degrees and guests might just be wearing a sweater around your house in July!