After that long, cold winter, we're all ready to start feeling the sweet summer heat! As much as we pine for the sultry days of summer when we're facing two feet of snow in the driveway, it's easy to get too much of a good thing. After all, we're Canadian - bemoaning the weather is a national pastime!

To keep your home comfortable this summer, and to save money too, follow our tips below:

Feeling fan-tastic:

• Give the hot air somewhere to go by creating a cross-breeze. Open windows on opposite sides of the house and place a box fan sucking cool air in one window and another fan blowing hot air out the opposite window.
• Fans make you feel cool when the breeze moves across your skin - but they don't actually lower the temperature in the room. Remember to turn your fan off when you leave.
• Turn your furnace fan on without turning on the heat. This will pull cold air from your basement and circulate it through the rest of the house.
• Freeze two litre pop bottles filled with water (leaving room for expansion) and place these reusable ice blocks in a dish in front of your fan to produce cooler air.

• Change your drapery to white window shades and blinds to reflect heat away from your house.
• Keep windows, doors and blinds closed during the day. Your home will feel much cooler when the hot daytime air isn't able to get inside.
• Avoid increasing your home's temperature by using your dishwasher's air-dry cycle rather than the heat-dryer. Similarly, use a clothes line or drying racks to dry wet laundry outside.
• Barbecue outside or have "sandwich suppers" with cold cuts and salads to keep your kitchen cooler.
• Lower your internal temperature with a refreshing cool shower, popsicles, frozen fruit and slushy beverages. You may be surprised at the difference.
• Sleep on organic cotton sheets that wick moisture away from your body to keep you cooler.
• Enjoy communal air conditioning at libraries, malls and movie theatres.

• Trim weeds and hedges around your air conditioning unit to ensure air intake isn't being restricted.
• Plant shrubs that will help shade the air conditioner from the sun. The appliance won't have to work as hard to create cool air.
• Move lamps and TVs away from your air conditioner's thermostat. The heat from these appliances will trick your air conditioner into thinking the room is hotter than it really is.
• Tightly close your fireplace damper so cool air can't escape.