During the summer months, temperatures tend to keep getting higher, to the point of being completely unbearable. As such, people look for solutions to buffer their homes from the heat. Depending on where you live, high temperatures may be problematic to varying degrees. Fortunately, there are simple, effective, and energy-efficient ways that can help you stay cool inside your home.
Here, you’ll learn 8 helpful cooling tips for the warmer months. From air conditioners and ceiling fans to establishing new habits, after reading this article, you’ll know what to do when the weather gets hot. Read on!
Install Air Conditioning
One of the best ways to manage temperatures inside your house is to install air conditioning. An A/C unit removes heat and humidity from the air indoors, providing you with cool air and allowing you to set up your preferred temperature. As a result, you’ll be able to live in optimal conditions and the heat won’t bother you, no matter how hot it is outside.
There are other benefits of installing an air conditioner. The quality of your sleep will improve, you and your pets will feel better, and lower temperatures will help you protect your household items, as some of them can get damaged in warm temperatures. Just remember to ask a professional to perform a maintenance check on your air conditioner. This way, you’ll ensure your A/C unit works well and avoid costly repairs.
Get a Ceiling Fan
Ceiling fans are another effective solution against heat. You may ask yourself this question: “Do fans cool a room for real, or do they just keep blowing the air around?” Truth be told, they do a better job cooling people, which is why it’s better to turn them off when you leave a room. However, there’s a great hack to help you feel cooler. All you need to do is to set your ceiling fan to rotate counter-clockwise. This way, you’ll create a wind chill effect and you’ll feel a pleasant breeze from the fan blowing down on you.
Use Bathroom and Kitchen Fans
If you have a ceiling fan, good for you! However, you should also make use of other fans in your home, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Both will help you get rid of the warm, humid air that’s bound to appear when you cook or shower. Paired with an air conditioner, a bathroom or a kitchen fan will also help circulate cold air into the room, regulating the temperature inside and bringing you relief.
Keep Your Windows and Blinds Closed
How many times have you left the room without closing a window? It’s likely that such a situation happened to almost everyone. However, if you want to feel cooler, you should close the windows during the day, and lower the blinds as well. It’s important because even up to 30% of unwanted heat comes from your windows and during a really hot day, your home will feel like a greenhouse. As such, you can block hot air from entering your property by keeping your windows and blinds closed.
Insulate Your Walls, Attic, and Garage
Insulation is the key to cooler temperatures in summer and warmer temperatures in winter. When uninsulated, the walls, attic, and garage transfer the heat from the outside, making the air inside feel hotter in summer. In winter, warm air leaks through the walls, doors, and roof, causing you to pay higher energy bills. To avoid that, you should insulate the weakest parts of your home – your walls, attic, and garage. Make sure to seal the air ducts to keep cool air inside.
Insulating your home is a more expensive solution, but it will work long-term and will make your property more energy-efficient, which will also reduce your bills. Looking at the arguments mentioned earlier, this investment is definitely worth considering.
Sleep Low
If the temperatures at night are still too high to your liking, change your sleeping arrangements. Hot air tends to rise, so you can expect cooler air closer to the floor. If you live in a two-story home, consider sleeping downstairs or in a basement, if it’s adapted to provide you with regular living conditions. If you can’t do that and the air is still unbearable, place your mattress on the floor.
Let the Night Air In
During the day, summer temperatures can get unbearable. However, they drop at night, which is why you should open your windows and let the cooler air in. You’ll feel relief from heat almost instantly, and the quality of air in your house will improve. And if you set up your fans strategically, you’ll have the perfect cross breeze, which will create a cooling wind-chill effect. Just remember to close the windows and blinds again in time, before the temperature starts to rise in the morning.
Use Electronic Appliances at Night
Electronic devices use a lot of energy and emit heat while they’re turned on. If the temperatures outside get too hot to handle, consider changing your daily routine. Consider preparing meals in the evening, and opt for dishes that are best served cold. Additionally, limit the use of devices that give out the heat and stay hot for a long time, such as ovens. It may be a bit difficult to adjust at first but once you get used to it, you’ll see that the air inside stays cool for longer, and your energy bills will get lower, too.
The Bottom Line
During summer, keeping your house cool is absolutely necessary. The heat can get unbearable, causing discomfort to you, your family, and any pets you might have. Fortunately, there are many solutions to this problem. Most importantly, you should consider installing an air conditioner. If you already have it, then make sure it’s in pristine condition, and don’t forget to call professionals who perform regular maintenance checks.
Additionally, there are other ways to keep your home cool. It all boils down to developing new habits, such as closing the doors and windows or using electronic appliances at night, as well as installing or adding other means that are helpful in lowering the temperature at home, such as fans, blinds, and insulation. Hopefully, these tips will help you get through the hot summer weather and stay cool at all times.
