Keeping Your Home Cool in the Summer

While keeping your home cool in the summer is merely a matter of dropping the temperature on your air conditioner, the following tips may help you keep the thermostat set a little higher and can therefore help you keep your home cool without breaking the bank:

• Install Ceiling Fans – Moving air makes you feel cooler. By installing ceiling fans you can create air movement that will help cool you down while avoiding the cost of dropping the thermostat. In summer months, run your ceiling fan counterclockwise to draw the cooler air upwards.
• Run your Bathroom Fans – Additionally, you can run your bathroom exhaust fans during the summer months which will help expel the rising warm air to the exterior of the home.
• Close the Blinds – If you have windows that receive direct sunlight at any part of the day, you’ll benefit from keeping the blinds closed or curtains drawn for at least the sunniest part of the day. For rooms on lower floors, try turning your blinds upwards to prevent rays (and heat) from sneaking through.
• Apply Heat Reducing Film – With roughly 30% of ambient heat coming into your home through the windows, one quick and easy fix to keep your home cool is to apply a reflective, heat- reducing window film to regulate the temperature. As a bonus, it even works in reverse, keeping more warm air inside during the winter months – and it’s quick and easy to install.
• Install A Programmable Thermostat – A programmable thermostat can keep your home cool and save a bundle on energy costs. If you’re out of the house all day, your thermostat can be programmed to reduce the temperature a few degrees before you come home, so when you arrive it’s comfortably cool without wasting energy all day.
• Give Your Ducts a Boost – Installing a duct booster fan can draw more cool air into a room that’s too hot. Simply choose the design that’s right for you, place it in the register and plug it in for a quick and easy way to cool your home.
• Use a Portable A/C – A portable air conditioning unit is an excellent solution for cooling the most used areas of your home. Because they can be easily moved from room to room, you’ll have cool air wherever you need it most. Another alternative is a seasonal window unit which can be installed in a main room to get the most bang for your cooling buck.
• Install a Mini-Split – A mini-split air conditioner is a mix between a built-in-unit and a wall unit. It provides whisper-quiet operation, and its compact size won’t detract from your décor. A mini-split system can be mounted anywhere, and is an economical alternative for ductless homes.