Full of Hot Air: On a still summer’s day, a fan feels like a lifesaver. Moving the air around makes rooms feel fresher and a simple breeze across the skin helps to keep us cool. However, the increased use of fans can have an impact on our energy usage and carbon emissions. You can help counter this by ensuring that they are used efficiently. For example, position it at floor level so that it circulates the coolest air in the room. It’s recommended to select the slowest speed that produces an effective draft. Turning up the fan speed shifts more air but uses more electricity while generating heat and noise in the process.

Keep Your Cool: Air conditioning provides a cool and comfortable indoor environment, but leaving windows and doors open can hinder its effectiveness. This is because AC units work best in sealed environments. Opening the windows lets cooled air escape from the space and introduces warm air from outside. This makes it hard for the AC unit to maintain a consistent temperature, resulting in the system running longer and using more energy. Therefore, it is best to keep windows and doors closed while air conditioning is on.

It’s a Breeze: Let’s make the most of windows to let cool air in and encourage airflow before switching on fans. Opening a single window can help, but for better results, consider cross-ventilation. If possible, open a second window on the opposite side of the room or at least on another wall. Remember that if it’s hotter outside than inside, it may be best to keep the windows closed during the day.