5 Eco-Friendly Indoor Climate Control Tips

Climate control in your home is important, especially in the summer and winter months when the weather is more extreme. In the summer, having proper air conditioning is important if you want to beat the punishing heat. In the winter, most of us have to rely on our heating systems to keep us warm and comfortable – or else we’d all be bundling up in sweaters and thermal blankets. However, it is these exact heating and air conditioning systems that we love so much, which are the source of many environmental problems, such as global warming, cooling, and increasing natural disasters. It takes a lot of energy to keep us comfortable in our homes, but unfortunately that means millions of tons of carbon emissions. Here are 5 eco friendly indoor climate control tips.

1. Make sure that conductive heat doesn’t enter your home. One of the biggest reasons that our homes are so hot is because of heat that is reflecting off other objects – the car in the driveway, our cement walkway, and it’s especially bad if you have a black asphalt driveway. One of the best ways to combat this type of heat reflection is to install awnings over your windows or by planting different trees that can provide shade and can cool the air that passes through their leaves.
2. Cut down activities that require the use of heat. For instance, instead of blow-drying your air with the warm setting, try opening the window and blow-drying your hair with the cool setting. In the kitchen you might want to think about using the microwave or the toaster oven instead of the oven, which could make an already sweltering home almost unbearable. In addition, you should consider not turning on as many electronics.
3. Let your home naturally ventilate. If you live relatively close to the beach or in a more temperate climate that gets cool breezes from a nearby forest, you might be able to naturally cool your home with the power of the cross breeze. Just open up a window in the front of your home and another window in the back of your home. If you have double facing windows in a room you can open up two windows to let the air circulate. This can make your home significantly cooler.
4. Maintain your air conditioner. If you need to rely on your air conditioner, make sure to perform the necessary maintenance, like cleaning out the vents, replacing the air filter, and patching any leaks. You can easily learn how to replace an HVAC filter yourself so that you don’t have to worry about spending money on having a specialist come out, which could be expensive.
5. Install ceiling fans or utilize your ceiling fans. Ceiling fans can be an excellent alternative to your central air conditioning system, because they are much more energy efficient and can save your up to 50% on your utility bills. They might be expensive to purchase and install, but you should make your money back in energy savings soon enough.