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Show Ways to keep you cool from UP&L Co. The heat's on, and everyone is looking for w ays to stay a little cooler. Here are a few tips for beating the heat: 1. Plan to do activities that produce heat and moisture such as laundry, dishwashing, ironing and mopping during the cool times of the day early morning or late evening. 2. Use your small appliances, such as microwave, electric skillet, broiler oven or toaster oven instead of your range whenever possible. They use less energy and won't heat up the kitchen. 3. Use exhaust fans in the kitchen, laundry and bath to remove heat and humidity from the house. 4. Keep storm windows up on windows that aren't used for summer ventilation. 5. Keep windows closed and draperies drawn during the day to retain morning coolness. 6. Hang clothes outdoors rather than using a dryer. This information comes from a new Utah Power & Light Company publication, "Summer Cooling Handbook," available free at any Utah Power office by calling UPlL's Customer Service Department. This booklet also shows how to beat the heat permanently. It takes a little more doing, of course, but before a householder even thinks about cooling methods, he should make sure his home is keeping out as much heat as possible. This is accomplished by checking the present condition of insulation, caulking, weatherstripping, attic ventilation, window treatments and landscaping. Adequate insulation is usually the single most effective way to reduce energy waste in the home. It can cut cooling and heat loss by as much as 70 percent. Bringing attic insulation up to optimum levels is a relatively simple procedure and more than pays for itself in energy savings. Floors over unheated areas (such as crawl spaces) and air ducts can also be insulated fairly easily. Adding insulation to existing walls is more difficult but often can be done. Storm windows and storm doors also stop heat from coming inside. The need for adequate attic ventilation is often overlooked as a factor in home cooling. Heat buildup in a poorly ventilated attic forces hot air down through insulation into the rooms below. And without adequate ventilation, moisture can accumulate and damage insulation and other buidling materials in the attic. Ventilation methods include roof, ridge and soffit vents, louvers, wind turbines and power exhaust systems. Studies by the National Bureau of Standards and others show that if you have adequate insulation and proper gravity ventilation, the addition of a power attic ventilator will not make your home cooler but will simply increase energy consumption. An important way to keep out the heat is window coverings such as moveable bamboo or plastic shades, solar screens, shutters, awnings, draperies, roller shades, Venetian blinds, heat-absorbing tinted glass, reflective glass and solar reflective film applied to windows. Exterior coverings are generally more effective than interior shades. One of the most expensive of these options, reflective glass, will keep out 40 percent to 80 percent of unwanted 2 solar neat. Natural shade from trees, shrubs and vines is the least costly and one of the most pleasant ways to keep summer heat where it belongs outside. Deciduous trees (those that shed their leaves during the winter) should be planted on the west, east and south sides of a home. They will reduce scJar heat gain on roofs, walls and windows during the summer. In the winter, the leafless trees will let in the sunshine to warm the house. Cooling systems from least expensive to most expensive include: cross ventilation through opening lower windows on the cool side and upper windows on the warm side of the house, ceiling fans to improve air circulation, whole house fans, evaporative (swamp) coolers, room refrigeration air conditioners, and central refrigeration air conditioning systems. Because of the Mountain West's dry climate, an evaporative (swamp) cooler can be an extremely effective form of cooling in this area. In a swamp cooler, fresh outside air is filtered through a water-saturated pad, cooled by evaporation and circulated by a blower. Advantages include: lower cost to buy and install (about half that of a central refrigeration system), and much lower cost to operate. DISADVANTAGES moisture produced may make sv,amp cooler air too humid for comfort, fan noise can be distracting, air distribution is often drafty, and no dust or pollen control since windows must be left open for efficient operation. Refrigeration air conditioning offers the most comfort but at a higher price. A swamp cooler can cool a typical 1200-1300 1200-1300 square foot home for about $38 per season while central refrigeration unit would cost from $94 to $260 depending upon the age and efficiency of the unit. Prospective buyers are urged to compare energy efficiency ratings before purchasing refrigeration air conditioning systems because different models consume different amounts of electricity to do the same cooling job. Room units are required to carry yellow and black Energy Guide labels stating as Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) for each model, along with the highest and lowest rating from comparable models. The higher tne EER the better. A unit rated at EER 10 will use just half the power required by a unit rated EER 5. Most central refrigeration systems are rated on a slightly different system, a "Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating" or SEER. This is basically similar to EER but also takes seasonal factors into account. Units with EER or SEER of 10 or above are very efficient; 8 or 9, good; 6 or 7, fair; under 6, poor. |