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Awesome thread! I should have made one years ago, but I was trying to be efficient....
Live in a house but consumed by radical cooling bills each summer?
- Vent your attic! I build bigger vents on each side of my attic, which allowed a breeze to carry out the hot air that usually stagnates above every room in my house and I've seen a rather surprising savings in my electricity each summer. It only costed me a bit (less than $100) for some wood, nails and paint. If you really want to stick it to GE, add a solar panel connected to an attic fan. It's an investment, but it pays for itself very quickly and lasts for decades.
- Plant bamboo! If there is a wall of your house that gets a lot of sun but doesn't have large viewing windows, plant some bamboo. It grows very quickly and it can prevent a lot of that heat from reaching your walls. I planted a few years back, just as an experiment, and it grew about a foot a day. Be sure you've got airspace, depending on the type, it can get quite tall.
- Turn off lights and your computer! These not only consume energy, but also generate heat. Wait until the evening when you can.
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