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Summer can be a particularly challenging time for people who want to lead a green lifestyle. Longer, hotter days mean more hours indoors, which inevitably leads to higher energy consumption. With summer quickly approaching, it’s important to prepare your household for peak temperatures, ensuring you use energy as efficiently as possible. Here are a few tips that will help reduce your energy consumption even in the heat.

Tactics You Can Use Year Round

• Plugged-in electronics constantly pull electricity, so get in the habit of unplugging electronic devices when you aren’t using them. The biggest offenders include flatscreen TVs, cable boxes and DVRs. A power-strip is an easy way to quickly turn off and on your entertainment system or any number of electronics at once.
• Completely turn off your computer, rather than simply letting it hibernate.
• Use a solar mobile phone charger.
• Turn off the lights whenever you leave a room and consider installing dimmer switches in the future.
• Use florescent light bulbs whenever possible.
• Only heat or cool the areas of the house you are actually using. Close doors and shut vents in spaces like unused guest rooms.

Household Chores

• Water lawns and gardens early in the morning – 4am or earlier – allowing water to fully soak in before the afternoon heat. Every 7 to 10 days, add one-to-three parts EM•1® Microbial Inoculant to your lawn water mix. EM•1® will help ensure a healthy micro-environment, improving soil structure, drainage and water retention (increased drought tolerance).
• Install low flow show heads in your shower and opt for short showers rather than baths.
• Wash clothes on the cold setting whenever possible and hang towels out to air dry.