solarpunkism

☀️Summer Energy Saving Tips☀️

Seeing your electric bill jump or double in the summer while just trying to maintain a livable space is extremely stressful. Having personally lived in the dry California desert, an unconditioned New Jersey apartment, and now the sweltering midwest, I have learned lots of different ways to beat the heat.

To give you the most information, I have also researched tips from energy companies and from eco-friendly sites and bullet point dumped every single one I found that was useful and affordable.

In this post I have compiled them into a list of quickest/easiest, and will have a second post up soon of less instant but still affordable and practical tips (second tier ideas, if you will).

☀️🤘Stay cool, stay safe, solarpunks! Please comment or reblog with any idea or solution that I have not included, and I will try to edit/add it to the list.

🧊Leave all doors to unoccupied/unused rooms closed. If it is unused, it doesn't need to be part of the cool air flow.

🧊Limit oven use, if possible. Cook with stove tops, toaster ovens, or microwaves. Stoves tend to generate a much larger amount of heat that lingers, especially when it is already warm.

🧊If your temperature is controlled by thermostat, keep all electronics and appliances away from it--they generate heat that can prematurely set off your thermastat.

🧊LED bulbs are the best bulb for staying cool because they do not generate heat, like incandescent ones. If you do not have LED bulbs, simply turning off as many lights as you can reduces heat.

🧊If you are going to be gone for 8+ hours, raising your thermostat temperature  {most electric companies say 78-86°, so somewhere in this range will be easiest to return to, depending on how cool you keep your home} until you return will lower your overall energy consumption.

🧊Use hot water as little as possible--cool showers, cool water when washing dishes & clothes--will reduce the heat being generated and then eliminated by temperature control.

🧊Use your big appliances (dish washer, stove, wash machine, dryer) at the coolest part of the day. This may mean getting up early or doing it late at night, whatever is most sustainable for you. What this does is similar to the tip above; reduces heat being generated by your appliances, and makes it easier on your thermostat to control that heat.

🧊Limit light & heat entrance by keeping blinds/curtains closed. DIY energy saving curtains can be made by hanging up a comforter or dark blanket over a curtain rod, or even nailing it directly to the wall. I have hung up rugs inside the window frame, and hung a thick blanket outside the window frame, and this has reduced the heat from entering through the window amazingly. $50 energy saving curtains are not necessary--you probably have everything you need lying around the house. If you have no available blankets, towels, or rugs, hanging up sheets, clothes on hangers, or using tinfoil will help as well. Any insulation will eliminate heat. Two ways to tell if its helping is 1. Is the room darker with the covering? And 2. When you touch the covering, is it less hot than touching the glass behind it?

🧊Heat leakage through door and window cracks don't have to be professionally tackled--my mom would roll up old towels and stuff them tightly into the windowsill. She would also sew a long tube and fill it with beans/rice and would use these on the window sills and at the bottoms of doors. Easy to kick away when you need to open the door, it is still heavy enough to keep air from getting through.

🧊Ceiling fans are your first level of defense, then energy saving fans (if possible), and then box fans. To make a box fan more effective, keep it clean, and with it's back not against a wall. Putting a pan of ice (or even cool water) in front of your box fan can sometimes cool a room down faster, too.

🧊Unplug any appliance not in use! This goes for TVs, computers, microwaves, etc. Leave your fridge plugged in, though, always.

Stay tuned for post 2 and 3! I am also compiling energy saving tips for specifically humid and dry climates, as both are very different; I hope you find them helpful as well.

While the easy answer to cleaning up the earth may be “Just recycle!” unfortunately, it is not that simple. Many areas do not have recycling plants available or nearby. In my own neighborhood, to be part of the recycling route, you have to pay a monthly subscription, which not everyone can afford. 

Because of this, I have found myself becoming increasingly creative in the ways that I reduce waste. Below are some of my most practical tips.

1.) Containers!

Containers are very easy to reuse--whether its a glass jam jar upcycled into a trendy coffee cup, or an old mayo jar being reused as a craft supply holder, containers are my favorite reusable item. I have washed out plastic ice cream tubs and used them as flour/sugar containers and as planters. Tin cans become cute pencil holders and planters with a coat of exterior paint or a ribbon. I have used vitamin/pill bottles as bathroom organizers for Q-Tips, tweezers, and make up brushes. Cutting a milk jug in half and covering the exterior with a colorful cloth makes a handy sock/underwear organizer. The possibilities are endless!

2.) Paper Goods!

Instead of throwing away paper, look for ways to reuse and donate! Many cat shelters use newspapers for their litter box liners and are glad to take the newspapers off your hands. There are DIY tutorials online about how to make a pet mat with newspapers and fabric, also a great item to donate to shelters! Make sure to call and check with the shelter to see if they need these items before beginning any project, though. Paper can also be reused to make fire starters, beads, decoupage material, and paper mâché. You can shred it and use it as small pet bedding, as well.

3.) Plastic Bags!

It is incredibly sobering to see so many photos of plastic bags in landfills, in oceans, and around the necks of our wildlife. Easy to make and easy to throw away, plastic bags are easily a castaway product that is easier to use and not think about. After seeing my own plastic bag usage, I realized I needed to make a change. I cut plastic bags into loops, connect, and roll them into balls of “Plarn” (plastic yarn). I have been crocheting the plarn into containers and reusable grocery totes. While the prep work is a bit time consuming, making plarn is still a lot of fun, and its the perfect fidget task for me while I watch movies.

4.) Clothes!

Clothes are one of the slower biodegradable items, with the plastics of common day production making breaking down difficult. Instead of tossing out a shirt with a rip in it, or a pair of shorts with a stain, look for ways to repair it first. Sewing a flower over a stain, or using a cute stitch to seam up a tear is a great way to add character and longer life to your clothes. If clothes no longer fit or are too damaged to repair, many thrift stores (or craft clubs!) will accept them. I like to donate clothes to smaller, personally owned thrift shops before large chain shops, but any type of donating keeps clothes out of landfills! If there are no thrift shops that accept donations, churches, benefit clubs, and homeless shelters often accept items into their closets so they can give them to people who need it directly. Sometimes food kitchens will collect clothes so when visitors get a free meal, they can also get a free shirt if they need one.

5.) Electronics!

Electronics are easier to donate, if recycling is not possible, with many pick up locations by large stores or busy areas. If there are no pick up/drop off electronic places, local high schools, trade schools and the like will also accept electronics (working or not) for the students to tinker with. Women’s shelters and assisted living centers also accept (working) electronics, even if they are older. Many occupants need devices or tech related items to help them apply for jobs or learn new skills, and often these places don’t have enough to go around. Depending on what electronic you are trying to dispose of, you could use the frame (like a computer frame) as a cute planter or quirky garden decor, or paint it into an artistic piece.