If you’ve ever experienced summer without proper cooling, you know what that means: lots of sweating, cold showers, and box fans. Worse, your home energy costs could skyrocket, and you could start feeling the effects of extreme heat on your physical health.
But there are a few easy ways to keep your home cool in the summer heat. Here are our tips for cooling down your residence during the warmer months (and ensuring it stays that way throughout the summer).
Insulation
First and foremost, insulation.
Our biggest recommendation is to make sure your house is adequately insulated. That means having insulation throughout your home, from the attic to the walls and even those crawl spaces.
With our many types of insulation offered, you can rest assured knowing you have a substantial barrier to keep the summer heat out and the cold air in. Whole-home insulation is one of the easiest ways to make sure you and your family stay comfortable in your home during the summer.
Because insulation helps keep the hot air out, this equates to lower energy use, which is better for the planet. Insulation is also better for your wallet. Since your energy use will decrease with proper insulation, so will your energy bills.
Air Conditioning
If you’re wondering how to keep your home cool in summer, one of the most obvious solutions is air conditioning. Air conditioning units actually work in tandem with insulation.
You probably know that an AC unit works to keep your home cool. However, you might not have known that your unit will have to work twice as hard to keep your house cool if you don’t have proper insulation.
Did you know up to 35% of cold, conditioned air is lost through poorly or uninsulated walls? With proper insulation, you’re preventing the conditioned air from escaping through tiny holes.
Other Tips and Tricks
Of course, there are other tips and tricks on how to keep your home cool. These tips work exceptionally well in conjunction with proper insulation.
Reducing the amount of sunlight reflected into your home is a significant first step. Direct sunlight increases the indoor temperature, potentially making your air conditioner unit work harder. Some easy ways to block sunlight in your home include:
- Blinds
- Reflective window panels
- Curtains
Changing your ceiling fan rotation can help, too. Set your home’s ceiling fans to rotate not clockwise but counter-clockwise. When fans turn counter-clockwise, the hot air will be moved away from the room, making you feel cooler.
So, once these blades are rotating the other way (counter-clockwise), the warm air is pushed toward the ceiling instead of blowing down in your direction.
It’ll also help if you remember to:
- Turn off the lights when you’re done using them
- Close the door when you go in or out of the house
- Hang laundry on a clothesline as opposed to using the dryer
- Cook during the coldest part of the day (in the evening)
- Cook outside when possible
- Make sure your electronics or appliances are unplugged when you’re not using them
Ready to insulate before summer comes around?
Thinking about insulating your home before it gets too hot? We can help! At Alamance Insulation and Gutters, we’re a leader in the insulation and home performance industries. Serving customers throughout North Carolina, from Greensboro, Burlington, Elon and Mebane to Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, we can help with all your insulation and gutter needs.