ENERGY SAVING TIP #2

ENERGY SAVING TIP #2

2. Take Advantage of Natural Heat

Why? Passive heating uses the sun’s natural heat to warm up your home. Methods range from opening the blinds to choosing building materials that can trap heat during the day and release it in the evening. Even if your home wasn’t intentionally built with passive solar design(link is external) in mind, you can still use a few low-effort tricks to harness the sun’s heat.

Effort required: Low

Steps to take:

• Open your curtains or blinds during the day to let in the natural heat from the sun.
• Close curtains or blinds at night to help insulate heat.
• Invest in thermal-insulated curtains to help keep warm air from escaping through windows.
• Have ceiling fans rotate clockwise(link is external) at a low speed to redistribute heat and prevent drafts. Doing so will pull cool air up and move warmer air throughout the room.
• Avoid planting evergreen trees south of your home, where they can block out the sun during the winter.