We’re Ready for Summer – Are Your Outdoor Spaces?

In New England, we experience the best of all four seasons: fall with its beautiful foliage, winter with its majestic snowfall, spring with its blooming flowers, and summer with its beaming sunshine. With summer fast approaching, many of us are daydreaming about enjoying the outdoors – whether it be hosting friends and family for backyard barbeques, cannon-balling into the pool, or simply relaxing. Although we know we’re ready for summer, are your outdoor spaces? The residential electric sponsors of Mass Save^® – Cape Light Compact, Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil – have put together three easy tips for creating more functional, energy-efficient outdoor spaces just in time to kick off the season.

1. Part Ways with Your Old Pool Pump
   

   If you happen to own a pool, this tip is for you! This is the year you should upgrade from your conventional pool pump to one that is ENERGY STAR^® certified: a certified pool pump can use up to 70 percent less energy than a standard, non-certified model. What contributes to this large energy savings? ENERGY STAR certified pool pumps come in multi-speed and variable-speed options. This means that you can adjust the speed depending on the function the pool pump needs to serve at a given time. For instance, when you’re vacuuming the pool or running a water feature, you can adjust the setting to high-speed for maximum performance. At other times, when the task is less energy-intensive, such as when you’re filtering the water, you can set the pump to run at a low speed, which will save energy. In contract, a conventional, single-speed pool pump runs at the same speed no matter what, which leads to energy waste.

   This flexibility can save you up to $350 in energy costs annually! These energy savings alone will pay for a new pump in at most two years. ENERGY STAR certified pool pumps are also notoriously quieter than conventional pool pumps, have a lower environmental impact, and can extend the lifetime of your pool’s filtration system. You can learn more about their advantages by visiting the ENERGY STAR website and checking out this fun video.

2. Step Up Your Outdoor Lighting Game
   

   Summer is the perfect time for outdoor barbeques and getting together with family and friends on a backyard patio or deck. When the daytime fun extends past dusk, it’s important to have quality outdoor lighting installed. Whether it’s for lighting up the driveway, a path from the house, or your grilling and entertaining space, there is value in having not only outdoor lighting – but dependable outdoor lighting! This summer, upgrade your outdoor bulbs to ENERGY STAR certified LEDs for durability, efficiency, and longevity.

   Be sure to read the packaging to determine the rating. You’ll want to make sure the bulbs you purchase are either damp- or wet-rated, depending on the intended location of the bulb. Damp-rated bulbs are suited only for shielded outdoor lighting, such as in covered patios, whereas wet-rated bulbs can be used in spaces that experience direct exposure to rain and moisture. The sponsors of Mass Save offer great discounts on bulbs year-round to their customers. Check out offers in our online store or find a store near you to purchase bulbs that are right for your home’s exterior.

3. Make Simple Behavioral Changes
   

   Sometimes the small changes we make can end up having a large impact. This summer, consider planting some trees! A few years down the road, trees can offer shade for your home with their leafy branches during the summer and let the sunlight shine through the leafless branches during the winter, warming up your home naturally.

   Summer is also a great time of year to put up a line outside to dry your clothes – and save energy while doing so. For those days where there are thunderstorms or too much humidity and an outdoor clothes line won’t cut it, remember that if you’re in need of a new clothes dryer, the sponsors of Mass Save offer a $50 rebate for the purchase of an ENERGY STAR certified model. As an added benefit, an ENERGY STAR certified dryer uses up to 20% less energy than a traditional dryer.

   Lastly, choose to grill dinner outside to avoid warming up your house when you’re trying to keep it cool. In addition to keeping the heat out of the kitchen and the energy usage down, grilling gives you a great excuse to spend more time outdoors with family or neighbors!

This summer you can enjoy the outdoors and save energy all at once with these three helpful tips. Stay tuned for our suggestions on how you can also prep the inside of your home for summer, coming soon!