How To Cool Your Home

According to chapter 11, over three quarters of all U.S. homes have cooling systems. Energy intake for home air-cooling accounts for over 8% of all electricity produced in the U.S. for all purposes. That amount of electricity results in the release of over 196 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, or an average for homes using 2 tons per year. Switching to high-efficiency air conditioners could possibly reduce cooling loads in homes and can reduce energy consumption anywhere from 20%-50%.

Since using air cooling systems has become the norm in all regions of the country throughout the years, it is important to understand that often times the most affordable way to stay comfortable during the warmer months is to reduce your home’s need for air cooling. Chapter 11 will further discuss how you can keep heat out of your home, cover different types of cooling systems, when you should upgrade your cooling system, and how you can operate your current system for maximum cooling potential.

Over all the years, we have researched many ways on how you can reduce your cooling loads and save money. There are three major sources of unwanted heat in your home that can occur during summer months; heat being conducted through walls and ceiling from outside air, wasted heat given off by lights and appliances, and sunlight that shines through windows. Ways to reduce and get rid of unwanted heat can be done by the following: insulate your home, get rid of inefficient appliances, and make cooling choices when roofing and painting.

Chapter 11 suggests that one way to keep heat out of your home and to keep cooling you should insulate and tighten your home. When outside temperatures are higher than the inside temperatures, hot air blows inside your home through cracks causing it to feel warm. To reduce this, you can insulate and tighten your home by using wall insulation, cellulose, fiberglass, or foam that is blown into walls by a contractor. You can also install a radiant barrier in the attic to reduce hot air. If installed properly, a radiant barrier can reduce cooling costs to some extent in the south.

Another way to reduce heat and to keep air-cooling in your home is to get rid of any inefficient appliances. Things such as lighting, refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, etc. are all sources of waste heat, which in turn can raise interior temperatures in your home. The best solution to this is to purchase energy-efficient products. These products produce less waste therefore emit less energy, which causes heat to rise.

According to chapter 11, a third way to reduce heat in homes and to keep cooling is to make “cooler” choices when painting or roofing your home. Lighter colors reflect more solar radiation from homes, which in turn cut down on the amount of heat that penetrates from the roof and walls. This may not seem like a major issue, but research has shown that by using lighter colors it can increase cooling by 10-15%.