Heating your home in the winter can be a constant struggle, but keeping it cool in the summer can be equally challenging. It may be tempting to turn the air conditioner up high while enjoying that cool summer breeze; however, the effect it will have on your energy bill might bring about those hot flashes again.
Maintaining a Comfortable Temperature
Here are a few simple, old fashioned ways to maintain a more comfortable temperature in your home during those warm summer months:
- Keep your curtains and blinds closed during the day. This simple effort may save you up to 7% on your energy bill by reducing the workload of your AC.
- Make sure your furniture or drapes don’t block the air vents. Allow that cool air to flow freely through your home.
- Close the doors of rooms you’re not using to keep the fresh air where you need it.
- Cook outside. It’s simple, but it works. The indoor oven is a great thing, but it introduces a great deal of unnecessary warmth in your home. Dine al fresco and enjoy the fresh breeze outside.
- Open your windows after sundown to let the fresh air in to ventilate your home.
- Reduce humidity in your home by restricting the use of household appliances such as your dishwasher or clothes washer, only turning them on after dark.
- Change your bed sheets and swap those winter flannels for cotton, silk or satin. Technically, this doesn’t cool down your house, but it will make you feel much more comfortable during the hot summer nights.
Investing in Home Improvements
If you’re looking for more permanent solutions to your home cooling problems, a more substantial initial investment may help cut energy costs in the future. Some more technical enhancements you can make to your home include:
- Insulating your home correctly. Insulation is not just to keep warm air in, but also to keep warm air out of your home.
- Choosing a lighter color for your roof. It is simple yet effective. Darker roofs absorb more heat than lighter ones. Be sure to heck out the top 5 benefits of replacing your roof!
- Upgrading to energy efficient windows. If this initial outlay seems too much, consider installing film on your current windows, which is a cost-
- effective way to reduce the amount of heat and UV light that enters your home by up to 60%.
- Having a cold air return installed in your basement. There’s plenty of cold air downstairs that is waiting to be utilized.
These are just some of the cost-effective changes you can make to help keep your home cool in the summer. Give the professionals a call at Gotcha Covered Contracting to chat about any permanent changes you want to make to your home.
