Keeping your house cool in extreme heat

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - In this extreme heat, you are probably cranking up your air conditioner, but there are ways to give your AC a break, manage the extreme heat, and save money on energy costs.

Consumer Reports’ Diane Umansky says the first thing you should do is turn on your fans. “What fans do, it’s really interesting. They don’t actually cool the air down, but they make us feel about four degrees cooler, and if you are using say a ceiling fan or a floor fan along with your AC, you can probably turn your AC up a couple of degrees and still stay just as cool,” Umansky said.

According to Consumer Reports, for each degree that you can boost your AC, you can save up to 4% on your energy costs. Fans don’t actually cool the air in the room, there’s no reason to leave them on when you’re not there. Turn them off until you return to the room. The way you use appliances can also make your house much hotter. To keep the temperature in check, avoid using your clothes dryer during the hottest part of the day. The same thing applies to your oven.

“Instead of turning on your oven, think of smaller appliances that won’t heat up your kitchen so much, for example, a toaster oven or an air fryer, something that isn’t going to generate so much heat,” Umansky suggested. “You can also run your dishwasher on air dry instead of heat dry. All these things can help keep you cooler.” Consumer Reports also suggests closing window blinds and drapes and replacing any worn weather stripping that’s allowing hot air to get inside.

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