Weather 
Temperatures are heating up across the Red, White and Blue as the country gears up for July 4th.
You may have seen the heatwave warnings popping up on your phone urging all of us to stay inside and brace for extreme temperatures. In New York alone, the city will experience “feels-like” temperatures hitting the low 100s.
The National Weather Service said both central and eastern states will experience “dangerous, record-breaking heat” through the Fourth of July weekend. However, the eastern part of the US will see heat indices of up to 115 degrees.
For New Yorkers, extreme heat watches are already in effect for the Capital Region, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, New York City, and the Southern Tier. Governor Kathy Hochul suggests residents sign up for weather and emergency alerts by texting 333111.
For those looking to stay indoors but not rack up crazy energy bills, there are some wacky tips that may shave off a few bucks. The Post made an easy guide with weird hacks to bring the costs of your electricity bills down as temperatures go up.
Curtain call
First up is from home improvement expert and TikToker Laura De Barra. We all know that covering your windows is the best way to shield the sun from warming your house in the summer.
What you may not know is how important the material is. De Barra is a huge fan of using items in your home that you already have to save even more cash. She suggests switching your curtain material to duvets.
“These windows get sun all day long. So what I’m doing is I’m keeping the windows closed once the air is hotter outside than inside, and I’m making sure the curtains are closed,” she said on TikTok.
The hack comes into play as the backside of the curtains may have a bit of black outlining to them. Many times, they are synthetic — a material that loves heat as it’s made from polyester, acrylic or nylon.
This translates to non-breathable fabric and essentially acts like a radiator by trapping heat in your home. What she proposes is switching those out for what you may already have in your home, a duvet.
“You can feel the difference in minutes,” De Barra said.
Another odd trick to try is from the popular retailer Home Depot — so you know it’s good.
Spin smart
“The right ceiling fan direction can make a room feel much cooler than it is,” the home improvement chain said.
Aside from picking the right one for your home, it’s the fan’s direction that can cool down the room. While ceiling fans can’t produce cool air, they can help the overall airflow and create what Home Depot calls a “wind chill” effect.
Ceiling fan blades should rotate counterclockwise in the summer months. When your fan is running at its highest speed, it pushes cooler air down in a column, where the wind chill effect happens.
Once your home gets cooled down, the chain suggests dropping your thermostat by a few degrees, a great way to cut your energy costs.
“A high-speed, counterclockwise ceiling fan direction can let you increase your thermostat 4 degrees and still be comfortable. Using a counterclockwise ceiling fan direction can reduce your energy costs up to 30 percent,” Home Depot said.
To switch the direction of your ceiling fans counterclockwise, many times all it takes is flipping a switch on the motor, usually located at the base.
Fresh flow
Another easy trick to cooling your home without breaking the bank is simply opening your bedroom, bathroom, and closet doors. This is because open layouts offer better airflow throughout your house, allowing the cool air to travel to all rooms.
Those with an open floor plan should use the strategies we’ve already covered, especially the counterclockwise fan. This may also help reduce reliance on your air conditioning unit in summer months, saving wads of cash.
Additionally, making sure your air conditioning unit is clean with proper filters is also the best way to save money. This means literally washing your machine. You can do this by hosing off your outside unit with a very gentle hose from the top down.
For those with A/C units, making sure that your air filters are new is another way to save yourself from burning through cash. This is because dirty filters can decrease efficiency, forcing the unit to work even harder and increasing your energy costs.
The Department of Energy revealed back in 2024 that about half of your energy bill comes from your HVAC system. And, replacing a dirty filter can save up to 15% of your bill.
If your HVAC filter hasn’t seen any love, your blower motor could fail, which means spending even more on a replacement.
