Each season has its own best practices for energy-efficiency and safety. The summertime is no exception. And, with summer right around the corner, now is the time to be thinking about how to keep your home energy-efficient, and your family safe.
Here are just a couple of tips for you to follow this summer:
Use ceiling fans and oscillating floor fans to keep your home and bedrooms cool.
Keep the thermostat set to 78 degrees while you are sleeping and during the day when you are at home. But, during the times that you are away from home, turn the thermostat up to 85 degrees. Keep the fans running no matter what.
Use your slow cooker or microwave to prepare meals rather than turning on your stove or oven. Your microwave uses two-thirds less power than your stove or oven.
Cook meals outdoors on your barbecue grill. This significantly reduces the amount of energy your home uses daily, as the power source for your grill is either gas or briquets. You can prepare part of the meal in the microwave and part on the grill making the amount of power used minimal.
If you have friends over for a barbecue or pool party, make sure to cover or child-proof the electrical outlets to reduce the chance of an electrical accident.
Use GFCIs to eliminate the chances of an electrocution injury. You can find these at any home improvement store and they are a minimal investment for the safety they provide
Do not use extension cords outside that are not secured or out of the way of any foot traffic. You can tape an extension cord to the ground and put a barrier over it to reduce the chance of someone tripping on it.
If you use fans outdoors, make sure to keep them out of the way of people who are walking around as they could easily be knocked over and damage the cord
Never have electrical items near or in the water – even on a flotation device. This is a disaster waiting to happen and could cause serious injury to anyone who is in the water.
The summer months are the perfect time for spending time having fun in all sorts of ways. But, it is important to make sure that your fun times are well-funded and safe. Follow these tips for the best summer ever!
