8 Tips to Save Energy in the Summer
When we think of saving energy, we mainly think of winter. But you can also save energy in the summer. These summer tips will help you with that.
Keep the house cool
It is best to keep the sun out of your home as much as possible. It may seem uninviting, but by leaving the sun protection (shades or curtains) down during the day, your house will heat up much less. Close your windows and doors during the day and only open them when it is cooler outside than inside.
Use nature or a fan, but no air conditioning
It is often cooler in the evening, at night and early in the morning, so feel free to open a number of windows or doors against each other.
Do you still need extra cooling at home? Then opt for a fan instead of air conditioning. The use of an air conditioner is considerably more expensive than a fan and that easily saves a few tens per year.
Dry your laundry outside
You may use a clothes dryer in the winter. But in the summer you can also use the natural drying sources: the wind and the sun. A rotary dryer in the garden or a clothes rack on the balcony is a free clothes dryer.
Spray the garden with rainwater
Every year we water our garden with hundreds of liters of drinking water. Of course, your garden needs water in the summer. How do you prevent a dried out garden, but do you water as budget-friendly as possible? Use a rain barrel to collect rainwater!
A rain barrel can save hundreds of liters of water every year. In the Netherlands, 1 out of 6 garden owners already collects garden water from the rain barrel (source: Milieu Centraal ). Is there a swimming pool in the garden for your (grand)children? Then you can also reuse that water to water the lawn.
Get rid of the (possible) extra fridge
Some families have an old refrigerator in the shed for ice cream, beer or frozen products. However, that second refrigerator is often an old creature and consumes a lot of energy unnecessarily. On average, a second refrigerator consumes tens of euros of electricity per year, but if the refrigerator is older and less efficient, that amount quickly increases.
Use solar garden lighting
Cozy in the garden in the evening, but not sitting in the dark? Use solar powered garden lighting. The lamps can soak up the sun all day, so you can sit in a lit garden in the evening. This also saves you having to extend power cables to the garden.
Turn your heating off or on summer mode
With the thermostat set to summer mode, you prevent the heating from starting at times when it is slightly cooler in the house, for example if you open the windows and doors in the morning or in the evening. A shame if the thermostat sees that as a signal to start heating – especially in the summer!
Turn off devices
Devices that are continuously on give off heat in the house. For example, think of laptops, lamps and (game) computers. Cooking also makes the house warmer, so opt for a fresh salad instead of a hot meal in hot weather.
