Beat the Heat! 5 Tips to Keep Cool!

Posted on July 7, 2017

Calgary is facing an exceptional heat wave over the coming week or so. With temperatures expected to soar into the mid to high thirties by the weekend, here are some ways that you can reduce your energy usage while still keeping cool:

1. Enjoy salad for dinner – Cooking with your stove or oven adds heat to your home, so try enjoying a cold meal for dinner on the hottest days. By not using large appliances, you are saving the energy they would have used to cook your meal as well as any air conditioning or fans that you would have used to counter the extra heat in the room. Also, your body generates less heat while processing a lighter meal, thereby keeping you a few degrees cooler.

2. Do laundry and dishes during off peak hours – Just the like a stovetop or oven, your dishwasher and laundry machines can add to heat your rooms. Wait until temperatures have cooled outside before running your dishwasher or laundry machines.

3. Better yet – air dry your clothes – Heat waves are great for drying your laundry quickly – try washing a load of towels or other heavy, slow to dry items first thing in the morning. Load the items onto a clothesline in your yard before heading out for work, and by lunch time you will have dry, fresh smelling textiles. This is a great way to dramatically reduce the energy needed to dry our heaviest laundry items while keeping our homes cool.

4. Pack an extra water bottle – In a heat wave, you need to stay hydrated. Pack an extra water bottle in your bag or in your vehicle, and refill often.

5. Close and cover your windows – up to 30% of unwanted heat is coming in through windows. Closing and covering windows can reduce the inside temperature by up to 20 degrees – and save you 7% on your energy bill.

BONUS. Focus more on your temperature, and less on the room – don’t try to cool your entire home – letting it be only 2 degrees warmer than normal can save you 9% on your energy bills. Instead, use cold cloths, water spritzers, and focused fans to keep you and your family “individually cool”.

What are your favourite ways to stay cool during a heatwave?  Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.