Energy Saver

Planning to blast your A/C this summer? A few simple tweaks and smart appliances can help balance out your electrical bill.

When summer hits in full force, there’s no shame in eschewing the sunshine to spend a little time appreciating the great indoors. Air conditioning is a modern marvel, after all. But it’s not without its cost, which can be annoyingly high during a heat wave. Fortunately, you can balance out your A/C’s enormous appetite for wattage by making some adjustments to the rest of your home.

The savings from any one change will likely add up to only double or triple digits on a year-long time frame, but the more tweaks you make, the faster that figure grows. So follow these tips for a more energy-efficient — not to mention earth-friendly — abode, one that may even be a bit “smarter” when all is said and done.