It might still be rather chilly where you live, but spring is already here and this year’s summer will arrive before we know it. Now is an excellent time to think about ways to prepare your property for the hot months of the year to ensure you and your family stay as comfortable as possible. Check out the below tips for ways to prepare now for a smoother-sailing summer.
Insulation
To keep your home as cool as possible, it helps to have plenty of insulation to block out the heat. While most newly-built places today have adequate insulation installed, old properties didn’t tend to fare so well. In decades past, not only was less insulation used, but it often wasn’t of the best quality. It can disintegrate over time, too. If yourhome has been around for a while, it’s likely time to update its padding.
Search online for “licensed contractors near me” to locate tradespeople in your area who can help you out with this job. Once you have more insulation added, you should find the home becomes much more temperate. The special padding reduces how much air-conditioned air escapes from within rooms. Plus, it blocks hot air from getting inside during summer and making things heat up unnecessarily.
Cooling Options
Even with quality insulation, though, you may need additional cooling options to keep you comfortable during the hot times, especially if you live in a location where temperatures soar, or you don’t get many cool breezes. Start by utilizing ceiling and other fans inside your home to move the hot air around. Fans are great for days when it’s warm but not too stinking or used in conjunction with HVAC to cool things down more quickly. They’re also helpful in outdoor spaces with roofs, such as back patios.
On the boiling days, you’ll likely want to turn to air conditioning. There are many different products on the market these days, so choose something that suits your budget and needs. Happily, all the newest models are designed to be more energy-efficient, and many of them even switch off when they sense people aren’t in the room anymore.
To get the most out of your air-con, though, get it serviced regularly. An electrician or HVAC specialist can come in and do this once or twice per year. They often need to do jobs such as changing filters and cleaning out units, especially if small animals have crawled inside.
Lower Appliance-Generated Heat
Appliances are handy and help us save considerable time around the house. However, many of the machines you use likely add more heat to the rooms they’re in. Most of us don’t think about this, but the additional heat can add up. To help keep your house cooler, turn off all appliances when you’re not using them, especially TVs and computers.
Consider reducing the thermostat setting on your hot water unit if possible, and try to cook outside on a grill rather than using an oven in summer. Also, replace older incandescent light bulbs for eco-friendlier, cooler-running fluorescent light bulbs. Plus, it pays to air dry your laundry instead of turning on the clothes dryer and use other appliances in your home at night or early in the morning when the temperature is lower, so the heat they create isn’t as noticeable.
Fridges can generate significant heat, too, so help them run more efficiently and not get so hot by regularly cleaning all the coils on them. These are usually found at the back of the units.
Shade Windows and Replace Glass for Better Seals
Lastly, take a close look at the windows of your property. Are they holding their seal, or do they let in too much air via gaps between the window frames and the glass panels or cracks in the glass itself? Also, are the windows in your home old, thin products that haven’t been updated for decades? If so, you should achieve significant results from swapping them out for new, double-glazed windows that not only fit properly but also help to block UV rays.
When it comes to windows, look for ways to further reduce heat by shading with pergolas or awnings, block-out blinds or thick curtains, and deciduous greenery. Trees, shrubs, and vines that grow thick and fast in summer provide helpful shade during the hot times of year but then die back when the cold hits and you want the sun to stream in.
Every little and large step you take to make strategic changes around your home can add up to significant impacts. Trial the suggestions above and enjoy how much cooler your house is this summer.
