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The Heat Is Coming … Be Ready!

It has been a warm spring, and all early weather forecast indicate that it’s going to be another very hot and dry summer. That’s always a time when usage goes up. Higher temperatures mean your air conditioner runs longer and more water is required to maintain the lawn. But with more people working from home and fewer activities open for children right now because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, that means consumption might go even higher this summer. Here are some tips to help you keep your consumption in check:

  1. Change your AC filter. This is something that’s easy and inexpensive to do but can really benefit your household. Those AC filters can get really dirty and won’t allow proper air flow. That means your air conditioner will have to run a lot more to achieve the desired results. Remember that the more you hear your air conditioner running, the more electricity that you’re using.
  2. Install more insulation. Since you might have some time to devote to home improvement projects, this might be a good place to start. Installing more attic insulation is a good way to keep cool air inside and hot air outside. That means it provides savings and increases efficiency year-round.
  3. Seal any cracks or openings. This is a good time to look around your house and check for any cracks or openings that you can seal. Caulk works well on cracks in your home and isn’t very costly. If you notice light coming in from the bottom of a door, that shows you another spot where cool air is escaping. Buy a door sweep or other door bottom product to easily knock that opening out.
  4. Water early in the morning or late in the day. Your lawn will be needing more water in the hot days ahead, and it will thank you if you keep your watering out of the heat of the day. Watering after 9 a.m. and before 5 p.m. will end up wasting a lot of water. Due to the heat, much of the water will be lost during the heat of the day. You’ll use less water and get more out of it if you keep your watering to early in the morning or after 5 p.m.
  5. Check your toilets for leaks. A big leak in your toilet can send your water bill soaring. Don’t flush all of that money down the drain! Here’s a video to walk you through how to check for a toilet leak yourself.

  1. Crunch the numbers. In the For Home section of the BPUB website, there are several tools to give you a better idea of where your consumption goes and how changes you make could impact that. These home calculators provide personalized information that you can use before you do anything so that you know where your best investment might go.
  2. Get rebates for home improvements. Since you have the time and are putting in the work, you might as well get something back for your efforts. Did you know that the GreenLiving BPUB Rebate Program gives rebates for qualifying home improvements? It’s true. Check out the GoGreen section of the BPUB website to learn more.

As a reminder, you should continue practicing social distancing guidelines if you go to get supplies for these home improvement projects. Try to take advantage of delivery services or curbside pickup.