Put Your Energy Bills on Ice with Green Home Cooling

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, residential air conditioning is responsible for 5 percent of the nation's electricity use, and costs American homeowners around $11 billion dollars per year. To make matters worse, the news doesn't get any better from an environmental standpoint, since air conditioners are responsible for about 100 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, as well. With those kind of stats looming over your AC, it's not surprising that homeowners across the country are on the lookout for less expensive, and more environmentally friendly ways to cool their homes. Here's 10 green ideas to help you save money and help the environment at the same time.

• Install Ceiling Fans — Ceiling fans are one of the most effective, and economic, green cooling solutions in the business. With ceiling fans installed you'll use your air conditioning less, be able to turn the thermostat up a degree or two when the AC is on, and they'll even help lower your heating costs come winter since they can also be used to circulate warm to provide more even home heating.
• Open Your Windows — One of the most effective (not to mention free) cooling methods out there is still an open window and a good breeze. Be sure to open windows on both sides of the house, however, to facilitate better air flow and more air movement.
• Install a Swamp Cooler — According to the EERE, installing a swamp cooler costs about half as much as installing an air conditioner, and uses about ? of the energy. That makes swamp coolers (also known as evaporative coolers) a perfect fit for hot and dry areas of the country such as the desert southwest and the mountain west.
• Install Exterior Shades or Shutters — Pulling the drapes and dropping the shades is a good first step when it comes to keeping your house cool on a hot summer day, but it pales in comparison to the protection an exterior shade provides. By preventing direct sunlight from passing through the window glass altogether, an exterior shade goes a long ways towards keeping your home cool, even during the hottest months of summer.
• Install a Window Awning — Window awnings are often looked at as a little dated in this day and age, but they're actually a very effective way to prevent passive solar heat from building up inside your home. By placing a window awning over south, east, and west facing windows, you'll shade your window from direct sunlight without having to sit in the dark.
• Plant Trees — Since we're already on the subject of shade, one of the greenest ways to keep your home cool is by planting a tree or two. According to the EERE, temperatures under a tree can be as much as 25 degrees cooler than surrounding air, thanks to a phenomenon known as evapotranspiration, and deciduous trees can provide valuable shade to south, east, and west facing windows during the summertime, without shading your home during the winter.
• Buy a New Air Conditioner — If you do have air conditioning installed in your home, consider replacing your older unit with a high efficiency model. Replacing a 10 year old model with a new, Energy Star rated one, can save you anywhere from 20 percent to 40 percent on your cooling costs. If are considering buying a high efficiency unit, remember that the higher the SEER rating, the better when it comes to energy efficiency.
• Install New Windows — Simply upgrading from single pane windows to double pane windows can result in annual energy savings of as much as 30 percent for your home. Opt for low e windows, gas fills, and insulated window frames, and you can raise those savings even more!
• Install a Whole House Fan — Whole house fans are installed in the ceiling between your living area and attic space. They cool your home by venting hot air up and out through the attic, replacing it with cool outside air drawn in through open windows. In hotter areas of the country they can be a good supplement to air conditioning, while in mild and moderate climates they can eliminate the need for air conditioning altogether.
• Turn UP the Thermostat — One of the most effective green strategies for reducing home cooling costs and energy usage is also one of the easiest. According to New York State's Office of the Attorney General, you can reduce your home cooling costs by 3 percent for every degree you raise the dial on your thermostat.

Whether you're out to save the environment, or just looking to save some hard earned cash, there are a host of ways to go green when it comes to your home cooling system.