5 Ways to Keep Your Home Cool
“Is it hot enough for you?”
You’re probably tired of hearing people say that throughout the summer. The reality is, that whether you love or hate the heat, you want to stay cool and comfortable inside your home. While the air conditioner is the easiest way to do this, here are five ways you can beat the heat and stay cool and comfortable regardless of whether or not you have central air.
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Using fans, whether ceiling fans, portable fans, or the fan inside your furnace will get the air moving in your home and keep you cooler, whether you have air conditioning or not. The extra will make your home feel cooler. Using the furnace fan (you can turn this from “auto” to “on” on most thermostats) will help circulate air throughout your home. If you have a two-story home, this will ensure that the air on the upper floors doesn’t just sit there and get warmer and warmer.
Keep Your House Closed Up During the Day
When the sun beats down on your home, you’ll want to make certain it is closed up and the curtains, shades, and shutters are fully covering the windows to keep out the heat. Any windows that don’t have shades are places where the heat can enter your home, making it more difficult to cool.
On cooler nights, if the humidity is low, feel free to open some windows and allow fresh air into your home. Opening your windows on a cool, high-humidity night, is only going to make it uncomfortable the next day, especially if the temperatures soar back into the 80s or higher.
Sleep On A Lower Level
Cool air sinks and warm air rises, so if your home has two stories or even a basement, try sleeping in a spare bedroom on the lowest floor instead of broiling at night where the heat of the day is going to naturally go.
This is a good suggestion for people who don’t have central air conditioning. If you do have central air conditioning, and you need to sleep on a lower level to be comfortable, there is probably a bigger problem going on with your system and we encourage you to call a professional to assess the problem.
Wait to Use Heat-Generating Appliances Until Night
Dishwashers, dryers, and ovens generate a lot of heat that quickly heats up your home. If you can, wait until it cools off at night to run those appliances. Some appliances, like dishwashers, can be programmed to run later in the evening, so you don’t have to deal with the extra heat as the temperatures cool off. You may also want to watch the weather forecasts to see when you might have a cooler day so you can run the appliances you don’t have to run on a daily basis at that time.
Fire Up the Grill
Cooking inside generates a lot of heat. So, if you’re looking to stay cool, plan on cold dinners, such as sandwiches, or plan on firing up the grill and cooking dinner outdoors. You may even find that using disposable plates instead of your normal dishes makes it easy and cooler when you don’t have to wash so many dishes. Plan your dinners in advance so you have easy, cool meals ready to go, as well as plenty of great grilling meals.
Tired of Trying These Options?
While all of these options will be helpful over a few hot days, using them day after day throughout a hot summer will probably get a bit exhausting for you.
Central air conditioning is the easiest way to keep your home cool and comfortable during the summer, and it may be more affordable than you think.
A free, no-obligation assessment of what your home needs is available for you. Our owner, Ross, will come to your home and provide clear solutions for your home comfort needs.
Call us at (262) 728-1655, email, or Facebook message us and find out how we can help you beat the heat.