No matter what time of year it is, summer is either beating down on your home
or it’s just around the corner. Even when you have a service contract for your air
conditioning system, you might experience a couple of days or so without A/C if it
breaks. According to the CDC, almost 700 people per year die from extreme heat related
causes in the U.S. every year. Beat the heat with these tips on how to stay cool if you
don’t have a backyard pool or access to one nearby.
Keeping the inside of your home as cool as possible involves planning ahead and
being smart about your options. You can do several things to be more prepared in
case of such an emergency to make your home more heat-proof, such as:
- Adding insulation to your walls, attic and crawlspaces
- Planting trees that will shade at least the east and west sides of yourhome
- Add window tint or thermal film to your existing windows or install energy-efficient windows if yours are older (and possibly leaking)
- Layer different sheer curtains and blackout drapes when you considerwindow treatments so you can control the amount of heat and light that enters your home
Good Housekeeping recommends regular checkups for your existing air
conditioning system, especially if it’s over 12 years old. You might even need to
replace your old unit with an energy-efficient system. In that case, it helps to contact
a professional company like Comfort
Air and have them do an evaluation.
To keep your home from overheating when the A/C is out and you’re waiting for
help to arrive:
- Use fans wisely to move air around, but turn them off to save energy when you’re not home. A strategically-placed fan that draws air into your home on one end while another, pointed toward the outdoors on the other end, will create a “breezeway” effect and keep hot air from collecting inside.
- Keep your windows, blinds, and curtains closed during daytime hours to keep the sun out and open them at night to let the cooler air in (and hot air out)
- Limit your use of heat-producing devices and appliances to early morning or late evening. This also keeps you from using power during “peak” hours, saving money on your utilities. Eliminating the use of the stove or oven by grilling outdoors (or choosing meals you don’t have to cook at all) is a great way to keep the house cool as well.
- Turn off lights when they’re not in use. This not only saves money, but keeps the lights from heating up your rooms.
- Run ceiling fans counter-clockwise to pull the hot air up and away, which will make the room feel cooler.
- Go play while you wait for the repair service to arrive. Find a pool or a splash park and have some summer fun in the sun.
With a properly functioning air conditioning system, you can enjoy summer fun
outdoors and stay safe and cool inside when you need to.
Have a gorgeous evening and weekend! Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!
Toodles,
Leave a Reply