Evanston IL is beautiful this time of year with trees boasting fresh, green leaves, flowers in full bloom and warm breezes getting us ready for the upcoming summer season. The City of Evanston is a great place to enjoy the spring season and is committed to creating a healthy living environment for its residents.
For those of you who are new to Evanston or for those considering relocating to this north Chicago city; you’ll soon learn that Evanston is hard at work to be a “green” city. In fact, with Earth Day on April 22nd, Evanston has set decided to set aside the entire month to bring awareness to what we can all do to join in the efforts of being eco-friendly.
Now in its sixth year is the “Evanston CAN Recycle” program, which is a month long recycling competition. This is a fun way to encourage recycling while competing with other cities for the grand prize of up to $25,000 in awards, which are to be used to support recycling efforts through local education and awareness programs. The contest, which is sponsored by The United States Conference of Mayors, Novelis Corporation and Keep America Beautiful, Inc., challenges cities across the country to collect recyclable aluminum beverage cans. Evanston residents can participate by simply putting their aluminum cans in the recycling bins found across the city!
Of course as Evanston Real Estate agents, we also wanted to give you a few ideas for being environmentally conscious if your Evanston home! Even seemingly small changes can make a large difference in your electric bills and in the health of the Evanston environment. Here are five ways to begin saving energy during the warm weather season in Evanston.
1. Close your windows- It may seem counterintuitive, but opening the windows will often make your Evanston home warmer, not cooler. Open your windows at night if the air outside is cooler than inside, and close them (along with blinds and shades) before the sun hits your house in the morning. When night falls, open windows wide, particularly those oriented toward prevailing winds so you can take advantage of cross ventilation. You may also put houseplants in front of sunny windows to absorb some of the sun’s energy.
2. Use fans strategically- Using ceiling fans or stand alone fans can create a nice breeze in a room and help keep you cool. If you’re using ceiling fans, make sure it’s running in the right direction, so that in the summer the breeze is blowing down, not up. Remember to turn fans off when you leave a room since they are made to keep people cool, and are not made to cool an entire room. If you’re buying a new fan, buy an Energy Star fan which will use 50% less energy than other models!
3. Cook (or don’t cook) a cool meal- Just as drinking an ice cold lemonade cools your body, eating cold food helps keep your internal temperature lower on a hot day. If you do cook, use the grill or the microwave, or else you’ll heat up your kitchen from using the oven and stove. And remember, kitchen appliances aren’t the only devices that give off heat; limiting your use of electronics will help keep your spaces cooler.
4. Shut off the lights- While modern lightning, like compact fluorescents and LEDs, are more efficient, incandescent light bulbs can produce as much heat as they do light. Energy Star-rated light bulbs produce 75% less heat, so consider that when replacing bulbs. It’s always a good idea to shut off lights to save energy, it makes a big difference on hot sunny summer days.
5. Plant a tree (or two or three) strategically- Your Evanston home may get hot because the sun beats down on it relentlessly on hot summer days. Let nature help reduce your energy bills by planting deciduous trees on the east and west sides of your home; in the summer, their broad leaves will shade your house. Also consider planting trees or shrubs to shade high-heat areas – air conditioning units that emit heat, for instance, and driveways and walkways that absorb it.
Saving energy in your Evanston home can keep large energy bills at bay and will benefit the community as a whole. We hope you’re able to take part in some way in helping to create the healthy atmosphere for which Evanston is striving!
As always, we’re here to answer any questions you have about the Evanston Real Estate market; so feel free to let us know how we can help! Our years of experience in helping buyers and sellers in Evanston can ensure you’ll have your real estate needs met in a timely and efficient manner.
Feel free to contact us anytime to get started!
The Thomas Team
@ Properties
@ Properties
Chicago's #1 Real Estate Brokerage
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