Whether your home has central air conditioning or not, these helpful tips will keep you cool these summer months and save on energy bills.
1. Air Circulation
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- A great way to get air circulating is by forcing air flow with a fan/box fan in your window. Night cooling also helps to naturally decrease the temperature in your house and exchange hot interior air for cooler outdoor air. Ceiling fans and standing fans placed near windows at night can help force the air movement when there is no breeze and a small temperature difference. During the day the added air movement from fans can help the perception of heat, which is tied to humidity.
2. Block the Sun from Reaching Your Windows
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- The more shading you can include on the outside, the better. Consider a simple overhang made with brackets and wood slats to block your windows from the intense summer sun. Solar-control window films can offer UV protection and reduce the amount of heat gained from solar radiation. Compared with some elaborate shading systems, these could be a less expensive alternative. Even simple bamboo blinds can block a good portion of sunlight without completely sacrificing daylight.
3. Add Interior Drapes, Blinds or Shades
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- Once the heat from the sun’s rays passes through the glass of a window, that heat is in the house and will need to be ventilated to escape. To keep your floors and walls from soaking up that heat from direct rays and emitting it throughout the day, it can help to add another layer of protection between the window and the main thermal mass of your home. Sheer window treatments are a nice way to mitigate direct sun rays to the floor but maintain soft, natural daylight. Plus, white reflects sunlight better than colors.
4. Transition Your Bed Into Summer Mode
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I don’t know about you, but I feel summer heat the most when I’m trying to sleep. Reduce the amount of bedding you have and stick to natural fabrics like linen or 100 percent cotton. Synthetic blends don’t breathe enough to release all the heat we generate during the night. Have a porch or balcony? Consider transitioning it into a sleeping porch. Depending on your home or apartment and security concerns, you may have a little exterior screened-in space that can be used like a sleeping porch. You could have a little daybed with light linens for nights when it’s comfortable enough to sleep in open air.
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5. Turn Off Major Appliances During the Day
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- To help maintain those cooler temperatures during the day, reduce anything that generates heat in your house or apartment. For example, don’t use the dryer or oven and try not to open the fridge too often. The more you open it, the more the motor has to work to cool it down again, and the heat generated from that work will be released back into your apartment.
6. Stay Hydrated
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- What may seem like the most simple solution is usually the solution looked over the most often. Stay hydrated! Drinking water also helps regulate body temperatures.
I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your June! Until next month!
Resources: Houzz.com
