My husband and I just moved to his family home in Vermont from out of state. He says the house gets very hot only a few days each summer. I’m willing to go without an air conditioner if we really can be comfortable on those hottest days. I think of this as an energy issue, so I’m hoping that you know ways to stay cool without air conditioning. Can you help?

I’d be glad to. Here are some tips:

In the cooler evening and early morning hours, open your windows instead of using air conditioning. Open windows on opposite sides of the house to create cross-ventilation. If you can’t create a cross-breeze, use fans to move air through your home. Use a window fan, blowing toward the outside, to pull cool air in through other windows and to push hot air out. As the day warms, you may find that you feel more comfortable with windows and coverings closed against direct sunlight.

On hot days, delay heat-producing tasks, such as dishwashing, baking, or doing laundry, until the cooler evening hours or early morning.

Keep cool air in and hot air out; caulk around window and door frames, use weather stripping on exterior doors, and have a knowledgeable contractor properly seal leaks between the attic and your living space. This also will keep you more comfortable in the winter and can reduce winter heating costs.

Use your range hood fan to remove hot air from your kitchen while cooking. Also, use a bath fan to remove heat and moisture generated by showers.

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Incandescent light bulbs use only 10% of their energy to produce light. The rest is released as heat. CFLs produce only a fraction of the heat and use as much as 75% less energy than incandescents.

— Bob for The Home Team

We’re pretty sensible in our house about how much energy we use. We use compact fluorescent light bulbs, for example. So I can’t figure out why our electric bills are so high. I want to get to the bottom of this but I’m not sure how. Can you advise me?

Sure thing. I suggest that you use a plug-in meter, which measures the power use of nearly any electric device. You can borrow a meter from Efficiency Vermont at no cost. These meters are easy to use; they plug into an appliance and a wall socket, and then show you how much energy is being used. Armed with that info, you’ll be able to work with an Efficiency Vermont Customer Service Specialist, by phone, to see what actions you can take to reduce your electricity costs. Your loaned meter will arrive by mail in a postage-paid box that you can use to return the meter.

To borrow a meter, you can fill out a simple on-line form at www.efficiencyvermont.com/meterloan. Or, if Burlington Electric Department is your electric company, give them a call about a similar meter-loan service. Thanks for a great question!

— Li Ling for The Home Team