The idea behind daylight savings is to make better use of daylight and conserve energy. A later sunset during the long summer days means less need for indoor lighting within the evening. Although we may have to lose one hour of sleep and probably suffer a week or two of fatigue before our body adjusts, yet, we would agree that springing forward is well worth the temporary discomfort, due to the additional sunlight we gain within the evenings. Basically, when you enjoy more natural daylight, you use less artificial light and that makes a real impact on the overall cost of energy consumption. Daylight Saving is the practice of moving the clocks one hour forward in spring and moving them back to standard time in the fall. This enables you to have more hours of sunlight than normal and you can stay outside for longer hours before nightfall. Daylight saving time may mean more heat and thus more cost on energy but there are ways we can use daylight saving to our benefit thereby reducing energy consumption.
One of the ways we can reduce energy costs is by introducing “Day-lighting.” Day-lighting is the use of windows to bring sunlight into your home. In today’s homes, the windows we have are energy-saving. This means that they can be opened for natural light to come in without bothering about the heat.
The best way to incorporate day lighting in your home depends on your climate and home’s design. If you’re constructing a new house, consider day lighting as part of your whole-house design an approach for building an energy-efficient home. You may also want to include passive solar home design techniques to require advantage of the sun’s rays.
Skylights provide both day lighting and ventilation. Skylights are located on the roof, in order that they may result in unwanted summertime solar heat gain and winter time heat loss. Skylights can provide ventilation as well as light. Ventilating a building with an operational skylight releases the recent air that naturally accumulates near the ceiling. Ventilating skylights usually open outward at rock bottom, and a few units vent through a little, hinged panel. Skylights could also be opened manually with a pole, chain, or crank. Some designs have water sensors to naturally close the skylight when it rains.
Less time spent indoors means less money spent on your energy bills, so swerve those nights in front of the television and embrace the great outdoors by taking a bike ride around the park or a walk along the beach instead.
Make sure you’re taking full advantage of the hotter weather at mealtimes by firing up the barbecue rather than the oven, and line-dry clothes rather than using the dryer – it will definitely help when it comes to cutting the cost of your energy bills.
Reset your thermostats to reflect the hotter weather – dropping the warmth by just 1°C can see you create big savings on your energy bills. And don’t forget to reset any thermostat timers – more sunlight means your house will naturally be warmer and lighter, so you’ll not need the heating on the maximum amount, if at all.
The passive solar design takes advantage of a building’s site, climate, and materials to lessen energy use. In simple terms, a passive solar home collects heat because the sun shines through south-facing windows and retains it in materials that store heat, referred to as thermal mass.
You may be tempted to switch on the lights when you get back from work in the evening or maybe early in the morning before you leave for work. It is preferable to install LED bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs use so much energy thus leading to increased energy consumption.
With daylight saving time comes summer. As it gets warmer, it is only normal to turn on the air conditioner at home. However, this will make you use more energy. The sun could also be shining for extended time, but you should take steps to stop it from heating up your home. Try shutting your blinds against the sunlight while keeping your windows cracked for a cool breeze and improved air circulation.
It is easy to feel more comfortable up at home during the dark winter months, especially after coming back from a long day at work. But with more daylight hours, you may feel more inclined to be out and about in the evening. You could rather get busy at home by sealing up air ducts and doing what you can to cushion the effect of heat on your home so you can save some electricity bills. You should check also if the air conditioner at home has sucked so much dust in its filter and needs changing. Check your freezer and water heater to know if it consumes more energy than it usually did. Generally, a well maintained home is an energy-efficient home.
Energy price rises are as inevitable as the changing of the seasons, and usually around the same time. Switching energy suppliers is one of the quickest and simplest ways to protect against the price hikes and save money on your gas and electricity bills.
This would be a good time to get trees and shrubs around your house to provide shade and cooler air when the sun is high. You can try out your hands at this type of gardening, you might actually enjoy it more than you thought. It would be advisable to put the trees in the direction of the sun so it can absorb the direct rays more and shield your home
Hopefully, these tips would help you save energy with the gift of daylight that nature has so graciously granted and in turn save you much needed funds at this time. Remember to stock up on and refresh your emergency kits to take into account bites and stings which increase during this season of the year.
