Summer-Time Money-Saving Tips

It's summer once again!

And what does that mean?

Heat.

And according to the news last night, it seems like we're on for a VERY hot summer.

Check this equation:

Heat = sweat = added energy consumption = higher bills

So how can we save during this incredulously hot summer?

1. Turn off the air-conditioning. Don't get me wrong now. I'm not suggesting that you suffer the sweltering heat. You just have to be aware of the weather so you can maximize it's efficiency.

Here's how you can do it: In the morning and afternoon, you can just use an electric fan, open up the windows so some air comes in. At night, if the heat is really terrible, use the air-conditioning but be sure to set it's timer to at least 4 hours (you'll be sleeping by that time). There are some units that connect to an electric fan so that when the air-conditioning unit powers off, it triggers the electric fan to power on.

2. Dry laundry outside. If you have an automatic washing machine (the type where you put the clothes in and they come out ready to be folded away), you can skip the dryer and let the sunshine & summer breeze dry your clothes. If you have a regular washing machine, turn the spinner timer a quarter of what you usually set it to. You'll see that laundry smells a lot better when dried outside.

3. Take a nap at the most coolest place in your house. In the middle of the afternoon (2-3 PM), roam around your house and try to feel which place is the coolest (usually this is the most ventilated and out-of-the-sunshine room). Set up a comfortable make-shift sleeping area in that room (since it may be your laundry area, ours is!). Start taking naps there and you'll find out that you can just set your electric fan to it's lowest level or, if it's really cool there, you may not need to use it at all.

4. Make your own ice. For those of us who don't have a refrigerator which makes ice on it's own, we tend to buy ice from the community store nearby. This not only wastes time & energy of the person assigned to buy the ice but also a money-waster. It may only cost Php 2.50-3 but it still counts. The next time that you go to the grocery store, buy some ice trays or small plastic bags for ice so that you can just make your own.

5. Use a jug. I noticed that we only use our jug when we're going out of town. I also noticed that we keep on opening our refrigerator to get some cold water. So I figured, what with having made our ice and all, we can just use the jug and eliminate constantly opening the refrigerator, which in turn, lowers energy consumption.

6. Cook outside. When you cook, the heat stays inside your house until it finds it's way out. And before it does, it would be so warm in your house that you'll need to use 2 electric fans to cool down the place. Consider a make-shift kitchen outside so that your house stays cool inside.

7. Clean your air-conditioner filters and electric fans. When the filters are dirty, they tend to restrict airflow. Meaning, more run-time and higher cooling cost. Filters are on the cheap-side so you can just replace them regularly (like quarterly). A dirty electric fan is not only disgusting but also restricts airflow, making you turn the level higher than usual. Clean your fans once a week or if you're too busy, every other week would suffice.

8. Dress down! When your in your house, use your most light clothes. My S wears only his boxer and my kids only wear light sleeveless shirts with their diapers and I wear the most short shorts and the oldest sleeveless shirt that I have. This way, you wouldn't feel so warm.

There are a lot of ways to save money during summer-time.

You just have to be innovative and open to changes.