Keeping Your Home Cool in the Summer

No one enjoys a chilly home during cold winter months, but a house that is overly warm and stuffy during the summertime can be just as uncomfortable! It’s a beautiful time of year and the last thing we want to deal with is a sweaty living area or no time to rest after all the extra hours of leisure time thanks to the long summer days. Turning on a fan cools your home’s interior slightly, but there is much more you can do to keep your living spaces comfortable during the heat.

For added methods to keep your home cool in the summer, call the experts in home restoration professionals at Elite Remodeling Services on (952) 646-2480.

Tips to Keep Your Home Cool

Increase Cool Airflow

Increasing airflow throughout your entire home is an excellent way to keep the interior comfortable despite the outside heat. While it might seem like you should open windows during the day in summer to get air flowing, this can become counterproductive!

Midday in summer is usually the warmest time of day and it is best to keep windows closed and curtains drawn. Opening your home’s windows during the warmest part of a summer day risks letting in hot air, not cool air, which raises the interior temperature significantly.

A better suggestion is to open windows during the early morning and late evening hours when temperatures outside have dropped. If safe to do so, keep some windows open at night. This allows plenty of time to let out warm air and allow cooler air to circulate inside.

Decrease Inside Heat and Humidity

Your home’s furnace is not the only item that produces heat throughout the day. Cutting back on the heat and humidity produced inside your home keeps interior spaces cooler. Your air conditioner will cycle on less often, reducing wear and tear as well as your utility bills.

Consider these helpful tips for decreasing heat and humidity inside your home:

• Avoid using your oven as much as possible. Shift your summertime menu to items that are easy to prepare on the stove top and make use of small appliances. These produce less heat than a full-sized oven.
• Avoid full-pot boiling. Boiling water on the stovetop adds humidity in the home. As with baking, switch to dishes that don’t require a full pot of boiling water. Cook outside on the grill as often as possible during the summer months!
• Avoid washing clothes or dishes until after the sun sets. Dishwashers and clothes washers produce added heat and humidity.
• Dry clothes after sunset or consider using an outside clothesline. A tumble dryer produces a tremendous amount of heat that often gets trapped inside the house.

Block the Sun

A bright and sunny home interior creates a welcoming atmosphere but also collects heat during the summertime. If you enjoy the sunshine but not the heat, invest in window film or light-filtering shades that allow sunlight in but block the hot UV rays.

If you’re away from home during the day, consider motorized blinds on a timer or a remote. Keep those blinds closed when you’re away to block out hot sunlight. Set the timer or use the remote to open them right before you come home, so you’re greeted by a bright yet cool home interior!

Invest in Some Upgrades

Investing in some upgraded home features cool the interior and lower utility bills! Here are a few suggestions:

1. Double-glazed and triple-glazed windows block outside heat efficiently
2. Thermal windows also have specialty coating or components specially designed to keep out the heat
3. Heavy-duty attic fans remove heat and humidity trapped in upper levels of the house and circulate cooler air around the home’s lower levels.
4. Lighter roof colors also reflect rather than absorb heat.
5. Air return in the basement circulates cool air back throughout the home.
6. Upgraded attic insulation and weather-stripping around doors and windows keep cooled air in the home as well.

Never suffer through another summer with a hot and stuffy home interior! For all the upgrades and renovations, you need to create a cool and comfortable home environment during warm summers, call the remodeling experts at Elite Remodeling Services, (952) 646-2480.