<p>We all love our air conditioners - there's nothing like walkung out of the desert heat into the coolness of home. But running your air conditioner full-blast all day is hard both on your energy bills and the environment. Here are a few other efficient ways to keep the house cool:</p>

1. Drop those blinds! The most efficient way to keep it cool is to keep the heat out. Ensure that east- and west-facing windows are covered. This keeps the sunshine out and the temperature down.
2. Reduce appliance heat. Keep heat-generating appliances like lamps or televisions away from your thermostat, where they will crank up your air conditioning unnecessarily. When cooking, the range fan can pump excess heat out of the house.
3. Switch to fluorescent light bulbs. These produce one-fifth the heat of regular incandescent bulbs.
4. Have a ceiling fan installed. This can make a room feel 6-7 degrees cooler while using less electricity than your air conditioner.
5. Properly insulate the attic. By increasing insulation from three to twelve inches, you can cut cooling costs by 10%.
6. Plant a tree! Though they take a while to grow, just three shade trees around your house can cut both cooling and heating costs by $100-$250 annually. Keep the trees on the south and west sides of your house to maximize shade in summer and sun in winter.

<p>To start saving money and for more ways to keep it cool, just call Any Hour Services, your Utah air conditioning experts.

Jul 1st 2013

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