Welcome to the Dead River Company blog!

Remember when your parents followed you around the house saying, “Who left all these lights on?” or “I’m not paying to heat the outdoors, ya know!” Funny how all these years later you have a lot more sympathy for Mom and Dad’s quest for energy efficiency.

Instead of following you around turning off the lights, how about we offer up some simple, low cost—or even better, no cost—environmentally friendly ways to help you save money on your home energy bill?

Since we’re headed into summer (really, we are), we’ll focus on how to stay cool and reduce your home cooling costs. Don’t worry; in a few short months we’ll be all about how to keep warm and reduce your home heating costs.

Here are some tips that would make your parents proud:

• On cool New England nights, open the windows – and turn off the AC. First thing in the morning shut the windows, draw the blinds, and keep that cool air inside. Window coverings and shades will prevent heat gain through your windows on hot summer days. Once the sun heats everything up, you can go back to the air conditioner.
• If it’s time for a new air conditioner, look for units that are EnergyStar certified and use less energy.
• Want cool air that’s 40% more efficient than a window unit? Talk to us about an energy-efficient ductless mini-split air conditioner.  Dead River Company can answer all your questions, assess your needs, and handle the installation and service.
• Minimize running appliances that generate a lot of heat, such as the oven, dishwasher, or even a blow dryer. Besides, it’s summer. You should be outside getting your hair wet.
• Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater to 120°F. According to the Energy Department, water heating can account for 14% to 25% of home energy consumption.
• Don’t fool the thermostat! Move lamps, TVs, or any other heat-generating appliances away from the thermostat on your room AC unit. They’ll trick the air conditioner into running longer than necessary.
• Finally, buttoning up the house with caulking and weather stripping is just as useful for warm weather as it is for cold. If you do it now, you’ll be way a head of the game come October. (But your Dad probably told you that already.)