Five Ways To Keep Your Home Cool This Summer

Summer is here, and it brought hot weather with it. Keeping your home cool in the summer months can be an expensive challenge. As temperatures soar, your air conditioner works harder and your electric bill goes up. There are ways to keep your home cooler in the summer and lighten the load for your air conditioner.

Keep Out the Sun

Natural light pours in through your windows and skylights. This natural light also heats up your home naturally from the sun. During the day, you will want to close your blinds and pull your curtains tight to keep the sun and its natural heat out of your home. Some companies offer blackout blinds that you might consider if you live in a particularly hot part of the country with an extended summer season.

Run Appliances In the Morning and Late At Night

Some appliances in your home are going to work against your air conditioner. If you love cooking a large evening meal, it is adding heat to your home at the hottest part of the day. Instead consider cooking in the early morning hours and reheating it in the microwave for dinner. Washing your clothes when you get home from work and then throwing them in the dryer will also heat up your home. Try to wash and dry clothes first thing in the morning or late at night to keep your home cooler.

New Windows and Doors

As your home grows older humidity and weather will warp your window and door frames, causing you to leak cool air from your home. According to Advanced Window Products, double paned windows can significantly reduce the amount of cool air escaping your home while keeping hot air out. These new windows will fit better in the frames and lower your energy costs. New doors can help decrease the amount of cool air seeping from your home, because they fit in the frames better.

The Attic Is Crucial

A lot of cool air seeps out of your home through the attic. If you attic does not have adequate insulation or any insulation, it is important to insulate it. A thick layer of insulation will protect your home from losing cool air in the summer, but also warm air in the winter months. For additional cooling, you can have an attic fan installed that will help move the cool air in your home flow from room to room, leaving your whole feeling cooler.

It’s Not the Heat; It’s the Humidity

We have all heard this saying, but there is truth in it. If your home is very humid, it will feel hotter. To keep the humidity at bay refrain from taking showers, using the dishwasher or clothes washer in the hottest parts of the day. These activities all put moisture into the air and create humidity.

The summer months are hot. However, there are easy ways to help your home feel cooler and save some money on your energy bill.

Savannah Coulsen is a freelance  writer. She lives in Raleigh. Savannah loves to read and write and she hopes to write a novel someday. Savannah also loves learning and is a self-proclaimed health guru. Savannah got information for this article from Advanced Window Products.