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Looking for ways to cool your home and reduce your power bill this summer?
Did you know an instant lawn landscape can not only reduce temperatures around your home by up to 40 degrees when compared to other alternative ground covers, but it can also save you cash!
Not only can this help your sanity and body temperature - but it can also significantly reduce your power bill, negating the need to run air conditioners as often or for as long!
So how can instant turf cool your home in summer?
Image thanks to bringmethenews.com
Lawn is a tried and tested way to cool your home in summer if playing under the sprinkler isn't your thing!
When the temperature reaches the forties, which it has in parts of Victoria this week, there's a host of ways you can keep your home cool, and not spend your whole budget on the power bill.
Greenery, however, is our number one recommendation here at Coolabah Turf and here's a few simple reasons why...
Put simply, instant turf greatly reduces heat around your home
In fact, the temperature of a Sir Walter DNA Certified Instant Lawn in midsummer is ten degrees less than bare soil, 20 degrees less than asphalt concrete or pebble mulch and 40 degrees less than dry synthetic turfs. In fact, an average front instant lawn has the cooling effect of 8.75 tonnes of air conditioning without the accompanying negative effects on the environment. We call that keeping cool while being environmentally aware. Not to mention being thrifty on your purse at this time of year by reducing your power bill!
It's also great for the environment
When it comes to being a fabulous 'green' alternative, instant turf also absorbs carbon dioxide, produces oxygen and acts as a filter for our waterways, as well as cooling the area around our homes. It also has a positive role to play in combating the build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels and a range of other human activities. And when it comes to combatting global warming, instant turf does its bit by helping to isolate carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. It has a greater flexibility to do this than trees, which means it can also produce oxygen more efficiently. Studies have shown that grasses keep sequestering carbon even at high levels of carbon dioxide unlike trees that shut down when overloaded.
And it looks and feels great!
Is there anything better than the feeling of soft, cool grass between your toes? As a living organism that transpires heat, even on the hottest of days, natural turf can have an amazing cooling affect. Importantly, tidy and well-maintained, natural lawns also help to reduce the risk of fire hazards and can help slow the advance of grass and bush fire, which have already created havoc in many states across the country this season. Our thoughts are with those who are currently being impacted by bush fire.
Both here in Australia and in fire-prone areas across the USA, evidence has shown turf grasses have acted as fire retardants and firebreaks, offering significant protection during bushfires. In addition, low-growing natural grass, such as those in maintained lawns, offers a low hazard with minimal potential for fuelling fires, and should be a consideration when you're constructing your household fire plan - a must no matter where you live in Australia.
As well as keeping you safe from fire, green grass around your home is simply cooler, and this cooling benefit also extends into your home, where the average front lawn can have a cooling effect equal to two air conditioners.
Image thanks to Country Living magazine
Other ways to keep your home cool during the summer months:
- Close blinds early in the morning, before the house heats up
- Install ceiling fans (fans cost less to run that air conditioner and you can position them exactly where you need them)
- Seal windows and doors
- Ensure your house is properly insulated
- Consider installing outdoor blinds or awnings to block the heat of the sun
- Grow a garden, including a luscious green lawn
- Plants trees to protect your home from the harsh sun
- Turn off the lights when not being used
- When it's safe to do so, cook outside on the BBQ, rather than heat your home by using the oven
And if you were considering synthetic turf as a green option for around your home, forget about it! Fake grass not only absorbs heat but can be up to three times hotter than natural grass, making it unable to play or even walk on. This is not what you want on a 40-degree day!
Stay cool out there folks, keep an eye on your pets, check in with elderly neighbours and be sensible with your outdoor activities until the temperature drops to a more comfortable level.
