For this week’s eco-kosher corner, I am offering cooling tips for your home from www.eartheasy.com. Cooling uses more energy than any other system in your home. Air conditioners can use up to 1/6th of U.S. electricity and, on hot summer days, consume 43% of the U.S. peak power load. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, cooling systems in the U.S. emit over a half billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, adding to global warming. Much of the cost of cooling your home can be saved by passive cooling techniques which don't require expensive retrofits or professional installations. Insulation: Insulating, caulking and weather stripping are essential to keeping your home warm in cold climates, but they also help keep your home cool in hot weather. The attics of most homes absorb heat through the roof, and insulating the attic floor will keep this heat from radiating down into the house. Reflective Barriers: An important consideration in passive cooling is house color. Dark-colored home exteriors absorb 70% to 90% of the radiant energy from the sun that strikes the home's surfaces. In contrast, light-colored surfaces effectively reflect most of the heat away from your home. Another method for reflecting incoming heat is to install a radiant barrier. This foil-faced paper can be stapled to the roof rafters on the underside of your roof. Shading: Shading is the simplest, most effective way to cool your home and reduce energy consumption. Up to 40% of the costs of cooling can be saved by shading techniques such as landscaping, and working the drapes and blinds. .Landscaping: Just 3 trees, properly placed around the house, can save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually. To be most effective, trees should be strategically located on the south and west sides of your home. Vines provide shading and cooling, and are quick to grow. Trellises should be placed on the hottest side of the house. Shrubs protect the lower portions of walls from heat gain by blocking sunlight. Drapes and Blinds: Drapes and curtains made of light-colored fabrics reflect much of the sun's rays and help reduce heat gain. The tighter the curtain is to the wall, the better it will reduce heat gain. Shade Screens: Exterior shade screens, also called "sun screens" "shade cloths" or "solar shields", prevent sun from entering a window. These can be installed on windows exposed to direct sunlight. Removing Interior Heat Thermal Chimney: Open the lowest windows on the side from where the breeze is coming. Leave interior doors open, and open the upstairs windows on the opposite side of the house. The warm air in your house will draw upwards and out the upper window, an effect called 'thermal siphoning'. Roof Vents: Ventilating your attic greatly reduces the amount of accumulated heat which otherwise radiates down into your house. Roof vents are inexpensive ($5 to $10 each) and easy to install. Ridge Vent: For even more effective attic ventilation, a continuous ventilation system, Coolvent is lightweight and durable, and it eliminates the need for turbines or louvered vents. Ceiling Fans: Ceiling fans are efficient and use little electricity, less than 1/10th the wattage of air conditioners. Cost to run is approximately $1.50 per month vs. $20 per month for air conditioners. rogrammable Thermostats: You can save as much as 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by turning your thermostat back 10% to 15% for 8 hours per day. Reducing Heat Sources Heat generated from within the house can contribute significantly to the costs of cooling. Turn off incandescent lights. Only 5% of the energy that goes into a typical incandescent bulb comes out as light. The remaining 95% comes out as heat! Switch to compact fluorescents- they give off 90% less heat, as well as using 75% less energy. Cook with microwave, barbeque or pressure cooker. Seal off laundry room; line-dry clothes. Use washers and dryers in the morning or late evening when you can better tolerate the extra heat. Use a clothes line to dry clothes. Toss your clothes in the dryer on fluff for a few minutes if line-dried clothes are too stiff. Insulate water heater. Water heaters radiate heat which can be easily contained by insulation. You can purchase a water heater 'blanket' for about $20 at hardware stores, or insulate the water heater yourself using faced fiberglass insulation and duct tape. Seal ducts and close basement doors. Keep the door to the basement closed, as cool air will settle down to the basement where it isn't needed. Shut gas supply to fireplace and heaters. The pilot light generates a considerable amount of heat, and should be off during warm months.