Home should always be a place of respite and relaxation. Unfortunately, however, the high temperatures of summer can easily make your living space feel like a veritable oven. The good news is that there are several easy ways to prevent this from happening. With the four tips that follow, you can keep your house cool, safe, and undeniably comfortable on even the very hottest days of the year.
Invest In Quality Window Treatments And Use Them Wisely
If you have vertical blinds with missing or broken slats, now is the time to replace them. Your window treatments should provide total coverage during the summer months. The more sunlight that these coverings are able to block out; the less heat that your home will retain. Blackout blinds and blackout curtains are ideal during the summertime as these will keep all solar heat from entering the living area. Keep your curtains or blinds closed throughout the daytime and then open them in the evening to let some cool, nighttime air flow in.
Keep Your Cooking Projects To A Minimum
Summertime isn't the season for creating hearty, home-cooked meals. Feed your family light, simple meals that are both easy to prepare and easy to digest. If you must use heat to prepare your food, consider doing the majority of your cooking on an outdoor grill. When the outside temperatures are at their highest, even the residual heat from a slow cooker or an electric skillet can diminish indoor comfort.
Make Sure That Your HVAC System Is Properly Maintained And Properly Sized For Your Home
If your cooling system was properly and professionally installed, it's likely sized correctly to meet the demands of your home. If you're currently living with the results of a do-it-yourself project, however, you may want to have your HVAC system inspected by a professional. Improper sizing can cause a cooling system to constantly cycle on and off. This leads to undue wear and tear, a shortened lifespan, and insufficient cooling power all around. Reputable, local companies can properly measure your space and can help you find the right unit for meeting your year-round climate control needs.
In addition to making sure that your HVAC equipment is the right type and size for the building, you always want to ensure that it's properly maintained. Filter changes and replacement of any damaged or worn components will increase the system's overall efficiency. If you don't currently have a cooling system in your home, consider the long-term benefits of investing in one. Homes that lack pre-existing ductwork can get the same cooling power offered by central HVAC systems by simply having ductless, mini-split units installed.
Set Your Ceiling Fans To Turn Counterclockwise
Ceiling fans have the ability to turn both clockwise and counterclockwise. During the cooler months of winter, setting their rotation to clockwise will draw warm air up so that colder elevations become warmer sooner. In the summer, setting your fans to rotate counterclockwise will push air down, thereby making the room seem cooler. Given that fans don't actually cool down the air, this tactic works best when used with a functioning air conditioner.
Ultimately, keeping your home HVAC system in top condition is the most important thing to do when it comes to ensuring indoor comfort during the summer months. By installing and properly using the right window treatments, setting your fans correctly, and limiting indoor cooking, you can maximize and better leverage the cooling power of this equipment. Best of all, these supplementary strategies can also help you keep your summertime energy bills at a manageable level.