Tips to Keep Your Home Cool in the Summer

As the temperature rises in the summer, many people can’t stop thinking of ways to cool themselves especially inside their home. While an air conditioner may be one of the best ways to keep a cooler temperature, it can also be a bit costly to operate. No wonder electricity bills normally soar high in the summer. But there are alternative ways to cooling your home, the less expensive and more environment-friendly way.

1. Invest in electric fans.

Electric fans can make your room cooler by up to 7 degrees Celsius. And electric fans are not a very expensive investment and also are not expensive to operate because they don’t use much energy compared to air conditioners. By using electric fans together with your air conditioning unit, you can lower down the setting of your thermostat while allowing you to circulate cool air inside the house. There are different types of fans to choose from and the most common are ceiling fans and portable fans.

2. Turn off heat-generating appliances when not needed.

Heat-generating appliances can make a room feel warmer than it normally is. To avoid this from happening, avoid using heat-generating appliances especially when the sun is at its peak. Appliances that can make your room feel warmer include television set, ovens, incandescent lights, lamps, and others.

3. Take advantage of window fixtures.

East-facing windows absorb most of the sun’s heat in the morning and also west-facing windows in the afternoon, making a room warmer. To compensate for this, you can install blinds, draperies, and window shades in the windows. As soon as the sun heats that window, close the window fixture to keep the heat out.

4. Open the windows at night.

If security will not be a problem, open windows at night to allow cool air to come in and warm air stored during the day to go out.

5. Use ventilating or exhaust fans.

To keep warm air outside your home, use ventilating or exhaust fans to reduce humidity. This is also applicable when cooking and drying clothes, both of which produce warmer air.

6. Just cool the room you are in.

To save on energy, do not turn on the fans or air conditioning units in the entire house. Instead, try to cool only the room where you are in.

7. Insulate your ceiling.

Insulators installed in the ceiling can make a room warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer cutting your energy consumption by up to 45 percent.

8. Install screen doors.

Lockable screen doors allow airflow while still allowing you privacy.

9.  Plant trees.

If you have enough space around your house for trees, start planting trees now. Trees are an excellent source of natural shade in the summer and make the surrounding area feel cooler.

10. Install vents in the attic.

If your attic does not have enough ventilation, the warm air that it stores will be circulated in the entire house. To avoid this from happening, it will be ideal to install vents in the attic to allow airflow.

Knowing these tips, you should be able to keep your home cooler this summer without spending much on electricity bills.