In previous blogs, we’ve made mention that summer time is among our favourite times of the year, here at Synergy Marketing Consultants. One of the reasons we love summer so much is because the beautifully warm weather offers our clients numerous opportunities to hold events that may allow them to generate more traffic to their stores.

But if you’re in the southern Ontario area, you’re in the middle of a scorcher right now! It is hot! Not that we’re complaining (although many others in the office seem to be), but it’s about 37 degrees Celcius, as of this writing. With the humidity that’s so prevalent in Toronto, it feels as if it’s above 40!

In today’s Moneyville section of The Toronto Star‘s website, Jennifer Stewart helps us out by listing a few ways that we can beat the heat without having to spend too much money. A concern that some people tend to forget when looking to cool off is the effect that doing so will have on their wallets.

So to combat a pricey cool down experience, Stewart suggests that you use a programmable thermostat in your home to control the cool. By setting your air conditioning at just a few degrees higher than you normally would, you’ll be able to save energy…not to mention, some dollars on your electric bill.

Make use of those ceiling and table fans. By doing so, this will allow you to raise the thermostat by about four degrees and still feel cool, says Stewart. By the way, in order to make sure you are feeling a cool breeze, you should have your fan spin in a counterclockwise direction, she mentions.

We can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t provide the same breeze in a clockwise position. But, so as not to digress, just make sure your ceiling fan is off when you leave the room. You can also save on the electric bill by shutting the door and closing the air supply vents in any room that is being unused.

There are a few other simple things you can do around the house to save on energy and keep cool, says Stewart. Use your microwave instead of your oven. This generates less heat and can save you up to 90 per cent on cooking costs. Turn off any lights that aren’t necessarily being used as well. Good luck beating the heat!