Saving Energy in Your Home This Summer

Unplug appliances after uses by plugging all appliances in to a power strip and turning it off at the end of use. This helps stop the use of phantom energy, which is the energy still being used while your appliances are plugged in but turned off.

Seal up leaks and cracks in your house with insulation. This helps with the release of cool air and the intake of warm air in the summer.


Remember to turn off the lights when you leave the room. Also, if it’s a nice day out, just let the natural light come in and light your home.

Change your air conditioning filters every spring and check your AC to make sure that it is working properly. Try to avoid turning on the AC for as long as you can, and open the windows and enjoy the fresh spring air.

When you are away from home, close the blinds and curtains so that your house will naturally stay cool.

Really want to say some dollars this summer? Hang your laundry out to dry outside and reap the savings from not using your dryer. Dryers are often huge energy sappers!

Natural Indoor Air Cleaners

Indoor plants can be a great and natural way to clean the air that you breathe while inside your home. NASA even says so! This is how it works. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen as part of the photosynthesis process. Some plants are great for cleaning formaldehyde from the air, which is found more in prefabricated or modular homes, and others are good at removing benzene.
Soil and roots have also been found to play an important role in removing air-borne pollutants. Micro-organisms in the soil become more adept at using trace amounts of these materials as a food source, as they are exposed to them for longer periods of time. Cut back the lower leaves to expose more soil for better effectiveness.

NASA recommends that you use 15- 18 good sized houseplants to improve air quality in an average 1,800 square foot house. The plants that NASA recommends are:
English Ivy, Spider Plant, Golden Pathos, Peace Lily, Chinese Evergreen, Bamboo or Reed Palm, Snake Plant, Heartleaf Philodendron, Selloum Philodendron, Red-edged Dracaena, Cornstalk Dracaena, Warneck Dracaena, and a Weeping Fig.