The summer heat and bright sunshine brings about an increased need for energy consumption. Air conditioners and ceiling fans work hard to keep our homes cool. Sweating through clothing means more loads of laundry. The desire to let the kids just have fun running through the sprinkler for a little while means water waste.
It’s easy to use up energy over the summer, but it’s also possible to save some. If you’re ready to infuse your summer with a little sustainability, give these simple tasks a try.
1. Feel comfortable, not cool
Thermostats are the biggest gulper of energy once it turns hot. Our impulse is to cool the house down in the summer, but instead, what if you could acclimate your body to the warmth?
The most efficient temperature setting in the summer is 78 degrees Fahrenheit. This is probably quite a bit hotter than when you set your thermostat from June to August. At this temp, even inside, you’re going to feel hot, but if you can get the thermostat as close to 78 as possible, you’ll save energy and lower your energy bill.
The trick to raising the temperature inside your home is to gradually increase it. Going up by just two degrees each day until you get from a supercooled home to one that’s warm, but comfortable, helps increase your heat tolerance. You may not make it up to 78, but you’ll get closer as your body adjusts and becomes more tolerant of the heat.
2. Take advantage of off-peak hours
The hottest part of the day is the worst time to use appliances that generate heat. These appliances warm up your home, making your thermostat work harder to keep things comfortable. If you add to that, the highest temps of the day, you’re using way more energy than necessary. All you need is to adjust your chore schedule.
The hottest time of day is actually around 3-4 p.m. Temps will start to ramp up around two, but right around three the scale tips, and more heat is contained within surfaces than is evaporating. Keeping washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers off from 2-7 p.m. keeps them off when it’s hottest, and you save energy.
Cooler temperatures are found right at the start of the day and immediately following the hottest time. The morning stays cool because there hasn’t been enough time for the sun’s heat to accumulate. After the hottest hours, the sun’s radiation has weakened enough not to be able to keep the ground warm. This is your appliance-running sweet spot.
If possible, schedule your appliances to run at night while you’re asleep for the best energy use, but if you need them to work during the day, kick off your chores early. That way you’re all done before it gets too hot.
This schedule also works when it comes to watering your lawn or garden. Watering during the cooler hours means there’s more time for the water to absorb into the ground. Watering when it’s too hot means most of the moisture will evaporate before it can nourish your grass or plants.
3. Picnic and BBQ with reusable place settings
Eating outside is one of the many benefits of warmer weather. As long as the mosquitoes and ants leave you alone, you might find yourself grilling and eating on your patio as often as you bring lunch to-go at your favorite picnic spot.
For many, a must-have when it comes to outdoor dining is disposable dinnerware. It’s too easy to throw away dirty dishes after you’ve eaten that burger or potato salad. What’s not easy is transporting dirty dishes home, but going the paper plate route isn’t very environmentally friendly.
Reusing plastic plates, cups, and silverware allows you to reduce your waste, and your carbon footprint. To make it easier to transport the dirty dishes home, set up your picnic near a water spigot and give everything a rinse on site. Then, toss it all into a bag all on its own to contain the mess and make it easy to load them straight into the dishwasher when you get home.
If you’re already at home, stacking up plastic dishes to carry inside is easy. Then, it’s just a few steps to the sink for rinsing before going into the dishwasher.
4. Get on your bike
When it’s hot, there’s nothing better than going from Point A to Point B in your air-conditioned car. But, are you headed somewhere close enough to bike? What about walking? You may get a little sweaty (so bring a reusable water bottle with you), but if you can bike or walk to an errand or two, or even to get to your friend’s house, you’re doing a lot to lower the emissions in the atmosphere.
You may have to drive still, but every car ride you can cut out makes a difference.
Another way to cut down on emissions in the summer is to idle your car as little as possible. Instead of going through the drive-thru line for food, park and go inside or opt for curbside delivery and turn your car off while you wait.
5. Think about what you buy
Relevant year-round, how you shop also impacts your carbon footprint. During the summer, companies that already waste energy use up even more battling the heat. Looking for products that promote their sustainable practices allows you to support those companies that, like you, are working toward improving their environmental footprint.
The members at IMPACT COLLECTIVE work hard to reduce their footprint when it comes to carbon, water, plastic, and energy. Look for the IMPACT seal on participating products to know you’re buying from businesses that do their part to act sustainably.
Small change for a more sustainable summer
With small changes that embrace the warmer weather, rather than working against it, you can transform your summer into a more sustainable one.