6 things to do this summer to help you save energy all year long
May 30, 2025
Updated July 17, 2025
Blasting your AC or escaping to the lake aren’t the only ways to cool off. We’ve got six simple tips that could help you stay cool at home, and they just might help you save energy all year long. Try them in between beach days and barbecues!
- Cool it with those hot showers
- Give your pilot light the summer off
- Make sure your heating systems are working
- Inspect window caulking on the exterior side
- Get in touch with your shady side
- Keep blinds and windows closed during the day to reduce the amount of heat coming in from the sun.
- Plant a shade tree on the south side of the house (preferably a deciduous tree that will lose its leaves and still let in winter sunlight). Adding awnings or solar shades to your house is another option and you won’t have to wait a few years for a tree to grow.
- Plan meals that won’t heat up the kitchen. Barbecue outside or explore no-cook recipes that don’t require using the stove or oven.
- Wash your laundry in cold water and hang it to dry
Taking shorter, or fewer, showers will save on your water-heating costs and help conserve your community’s water resources, which can sometimes be in short supply at the height of summer. We also recommend swapping your showerhead for a water-efficient WaterSense® labelled fixture. Look for a showerhead with a flow rate of less than seven litres/minute (1.85 gallons/minute).1
Not handy? Don’t worry. If you can attach a hose to a hose bib, you can install a showerhead. And we’ve even got a video to show you how.
Gas fireplaces are great for instant warmth when it’s cold out. But if you have an older fireplace with a pilot light that is constantly on, it’s emitting heat you don’t need in the summer. Afterall, a fireplace pilot light uses between 600 and 1,500 British thermal units (BTU) per hour and creates that much extra heat. Turn it off for the summer so you can help keep the heat down, as well as your energy bills.
Since we don’t typically use our space heating systems in the summer, it’s a great time to take care of their annual maintenance. This includes gas fireplaces, air source heat pumps, furnaces and boilers. And while you’re at it, you might as well get your gas water heater or electric heat pump water heater serviced at the same time. We recommend hiring a licensed gas contractor or electrician to inspect and service your equipment. Regular maintenance is essential to keep those systems operating safely and efficiently.
Caulking around window frames on both the interior and exterior side can be a good way to help prevent heat loss in a home. In summer you can take advantage of the warm dry weather to inspect and replace (if needed) the caulking around the exterior side of your windows. You can watch our video on how to weatherstrip windows, and learn more about upgrading windows and caulking from Natural Resources Canada.
Keep cool and help save energy by using these tips to avoid heating up your home on hot summer days:
Household appliances can account for close to 18 per cent of energy use in a B.C. home.2 One thing you can do to reduce water heating costs is to wash your laundry with cold water. Also, avoid adding too many clothes into one load as it could make the washing machine less efficient.3 During warmer weather, take advantage of the free heat offered by the sun and hang your laundry to dry outside so you can give your dryer a break and save even more energy.
More energy-saving tips
Did you break a sweat taking care of all that maintenance? Why not take a break with a cold glass of ice tea while checking out all our energy-saving tips and how-to videos.
Equalize your bill payments
While not an energy-saving tip, you can avoid seasonal fluctuations on your bill with our Equal Payment Plan (EPP). By signing up for EPP your anticipated energy bill for the year will be divided into 12 equal payments. Learn more about EPP or sign up via Account Online.
1Natural Resources Canada, Make small changes that add up.
2Natural Resources Canada, Comprehensive Energy Use Database.
3Natural Resources Canada, Make laundry day more energy efficient.