Everyone like to stay cool during the hotter months, but no one likes to see a huge electric bill arrive from the power company when they’re trying to relax and enjoy their summer. Luckily, these two events don’t necessarily have to go hand in hand.
You can find ways to keep your home cool without having to crank up your air conditioning and burn a large amount of electricity. If you still want to use your air conditioning, you want may want to arrange an inspection with your local HVAC experts (here) to make sure it is running as efficiently as possible. After you’ve done that, try some other ways to keep your energy use down. Here are three tips for keeping your home cool without emptying your savings this summer.
Be Smart with Your Windows
One of the fastest ways to heat up your home during the summer months is with direct sunlight. You can’t place a sunshade over your entire home, obviously (unless you have a grove of mature trees), but you can prevent some of that burning light from penetrating into your living spaces.
The best way to do this, according to Jess Yeager, a contributor to AARP.org, is to be smart with your windows. If the temperature outside is cooler than in your house (especially if that’s only at night), or you’re getting a good cross breeze, open up those windows and let that air in. But if it’s sunny and hot outside, keep the windows closed and the shades drawn to keep the hot rays out.
Though you might not believe that closing the shades will have much effect, it can make a big difference for the interior temperature of your home, especially in the case of your windows that face east and west.
Use Appliances with Care
The use of appliances in the summer can also quickly heat up your home. Not only do electronic and gas appliances, especially the larger ones, give off heat, but they also use up more energy and make your electric bill spike. If you live in some place where the summers are relatively mild, you do not need to take as many precautions to avoid running your air conditioner all summer. However, if you live somewhere with hot summers, it’s important that you find ways to reduce your energy consumption and save money. This could be done if an HVAC Company comes to your aid. They could help with the repair, installation, maintenance and replacement of various HVAC equipment.
So rather than running these appliances whenever you feel like it, Lisa Kaplan Gordon, a contributor to House Logic, recommends that you not use larger appliances during the hottest part of the day. Also, try to find ways not to have to use them at all, such as cooking outside on a barbecue grill, and hanging clothes on the line to dry.
Consider a Larger Home Upgrade
If you’ve noticed that you’re having a hard time keeping your home cool year after year, and your electric bills are always high, you may have a more chronic problem to address. According to Jeremy Anderberg, a contributor to ArtOfManliness.com, making some bigger home improvements, such as repainting your house or getting a new roof, could help you fix some of your heating and cooling problems.
If you don’t have an adequate roof or the insulation is poor, that may be letting cool air escape. It could also be a possibility that there might have been damage done to your roof due to extreme weather conditions. In such a case, it is always wise to consult roofing specialists like Beemer KangaRoof (you can peek at their website at https://beemerkangaroof.com/service-areas/simpsonville-roofing-contractor/) who could take a look at your problem and provide you with the best possible solution, saving you from hefty repair costs in the near future. Or, you could repaint your home which in effect would draw less sun and radiant heat; both of which tend to raise the interior temperature.
It is always a wise idea to get an experienced eye to have your home checked for any kind of issues and the maintenance done at regular intervals. These adjustments will cost more now, but they could save you a lot of money (and raise your ongoing comfort level) in the long run. If you want to keep your home cool and your bills low in the summer, consider using some of the tips mentioned here to make that happen.
