1) The hottest part of your house is the first place you can make HUGE gains in keeping your house cooler. By adding a radiant-barrier paint to the underside of your roof deck you will significantly decrease the amount of heat in your attic and thereby keep your house cooler. You can also make sure your insulation level is up to par at the same time and I bet you will notice the difference! An attic fan can help keep the heat from building up in the attic as well.
2) The next largest heat load to your house are your windows. You can greatly reduce the amount of heat build up into your home through these windows by adding light colored, heavy weighted drapes; solar screens or films; and awnings to shade or keep out the sun’s heat.
3) Your a/c unit is obviously the method to cool your house, but when the temperature outside is over 100 degrees, these units have a hard time keeping up with our personal comfort level we desire. Some ways to help your unit keep you cool is to provide the condenser units shade, while not blocking the air it requires to function. You also need to make sure you keep the air filters changed and use a programmable thermostat to save you on your bills while you are not home.
4) Install and use ceiling fans to allow you to be comfortable at a higher ambient temperature. The air movement can make you feel several degrees cooler and make it much easier on your a/c and your utility bill.
5) CHANGE out ALL your incandescent and halogen light bulbs to compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. Besides the savings in electricity they do not heat up the space they are lighting. A halogen bulb in your room is like a miniature fireplace! Incandescent bulbs are not much better and the last thing you need to do while trying to keep cool is add heat to your house through the lights.
6) Another way to reduce the amount of heat you add to your house is to use the microwave instead of the oven. Try not to use any appliance until after dark, especially the dishwasher and don’t use the heat cycle for drying.
7) Make sure you are keeping your a/c in the house!! Caulk your windows, seal your doors, and make sure all vents and ducts are properly closed and especially your fireplace damper.
8) Change any dark colors on your house to a light color, whether it is the paint or roof or both, you will reflect the heat of the sun rather than collect it.
9) Outside landscaping can help tremendously as well. Planting shade trees to block the sun before it reaches the house is ideal, but you can also build a trellis and allow vines to grow to block the sun in summer and allow the warmth to come through in the winter. Arbors and automatic shades are also a great help in cooling your house.
And lastly – you can:
10) Water your house! After sunset you can water your concrete, rock, and asphalt areas of your home to help it release the built up heat!! This may seem a little crazy, but it is effective, except if you are conserving water – it may not be a good idea.
I hope you all find a way to stay cool in your homes, but sometimes the most effective way to cool down is with a great big SNOWCONE!!
Please feel free to call me any time about any question you have with this tip or anything else on your mind at 512.413.9281.
