The temperature's rising and, with it, the question: how to keep cool while keeping energy use down. There are more answers than you'd think.

Keep heat from building up in your home.

1. Block the heat:

• Keep curtains or blinds ed in the daytime
• Shade your house with shrubs and deciduous trees
• Shade your house with awnings, louvers or shutters
• Insulate your attic (protects against cold in winter too!)

• Apply a reflective coating to your roof
• Install a radiant barrier under your roof
• Paint your exterior walls a light color

• Take advantage of daylight to illuminate your home
• Switch from incandescent lamps to compact fluorescents
• Use a microwave instead of a conventional oven
• Use appliances in the morning or late evening
• Seal off your laundry and water heater rooms

Increase the efficiency of existing air conditioners.

1. Do routine maintenance

• Replace or clean filters regularly
• Keep evaporator and condenser coils clean
• Use a "fin comb" to keep coil fins in shape

• Find duct leaks and seal with "mastic"
• Insulate ducts in attics
• Take care not to obstruct air flow to/from registers

Make efficiency a priority when buying new air conditioners.

1. Size air conditioners correctly for your room or house. Be aware that bigger is not necessarily better.

2. Look for units with the Energy Star label, which guarantees greater efficiency.

Use air conditioners wisely.

1. Use only when necessary.

• Turn off when no one will be home
• Consider a programmable thermostat
• Use ceiling fans instead of air conditioners on milder days

For related information, see these pages:

COOLING YOUR HOME NATURALLY
http://www.eren.doe.gov/erec/factsheets/coolhome.html

ENERGY-EFFICIENT AIR CONDITIONING
http://www.eren.doe.gov/erec/factsheets/aircond.html

STAR PERFORMERS: THE ENERGY STAR LABEL
http://www.ucsusa.org/energy?guide.energystar.html

ENERGY STAR LABELED HEATING AND COOLING
http://www.epa.gov/appdstar/hvac/index.html