Everyone loves to catch waves during the summertime. But no one likes to catch a heatwave.
Major cities in the United States experience an average of six heat waves per year. That number is expected to rise as climate change impacts the country.
Many people think that summer cooling is easy. They turn on their air conditioning system and run their fans. Those are fine solutions, but they are not always ideal or possible.
Consider a range of ways to keep your home cool. Here are ten of them you can practice today.
1. Use Your Air Conditioning
The most obvious way to cool your home is to use your air conditioning system. But you should do more than turn it on.
Check your air conditioning unit and make any repairs you need to make before the summer. Practice some basic maintenance tips like cleaning the filters.
Set your thermostat to match or exceed the temperature outdoors. The less of a difference between the two, the lower your cooling bill will be.
Use a programmable device so you can adjust your settings when no one is in your home. You can keep your air conditioning unit running while you are away. This will cool your home down for when you arrive, but it will drive your bills up.
2. Use Fans
If you want to conserve energy, you can use fans instead. You can also use them to target particular spaces you need to cool.
Place a fan in the window with the air blowing out. This will move the hot air out of your house, reducing the temperatures inside. Flip the fan around to draw cool night air into your home.
A rotating fan distributes cool air evenly throughout a room. You should also turn on the exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom. These fans draw warm air and moisture out of the room, keeping it cool.
3. Buy Evaporative Coolers
Evaporative coolers are also called “swamp fans.” They work by adding cold moisture into the air. They draw outdoor air in, pass it over water-soaked pads, and then push hot indoor air out.
These coolers work best on low-humidity days. Check the humidity conditions in your area, then switch them on. They use one-quarter of the energy of central air conditioners.
4. Draw Your Window Shades
Place window shades or curtains over all of your big windows. They do not have to be elaborate. A simple cloth curtain will suffice, though curtains with white surfaces help reflect heat away from your home.
Draw your shades over windows that face the morning and afternoon sun. Keep these windows closed. Try to avoid opening any windows, but if you must, open one in a shady area.
As the sun sets, open your shades and windows. You can allow cold air to enter back into your home. Right before going to bed, close the shades and windows for safety.
5. Weatherize Your Home
Weatherizing your home is a good idea for any time of year. Leaks can allow warm air to sneak into your home, defeating your central air conditioning.
Place weather-stripping around your windows. Add caulking to gaps along your floor and doors.
You can also add insulation around your air conditioning ducts. You should do this in spaces you don’t run air conditioning in, like attics and garages. These are common locations where warm air sneaks in.
6. Exercise
Exercising may feel like you are warming up. But it can actually help you cool down. Sweating is your body’s way of cooling, so if you can get yourself to sweat, you will get cold.
One great exercise is swimming. You can work up a sweat, even while you are gliding through cold water. If you don’t want to get wet, you can go rowing or boating.
Even walking can keep you cold. Go for a brisk walk around your neighborhood, swinging your arms and stretching your legs. Head home once you start to feel the sweat.
7. Drink Water
Drinking water is a great way to cool down. You don’t have to drink ice cold water. Room temperature water induces your body to sweat and stay cold.
You should drink water even if you are not feeling thirsty. When you are out in the heat, your body is expending a lot of energy. For your internal processes to work, you need water.
8. Take a Cold Shower
Hop in the shower whenever you are able to. Turn the water down to cold and remain in the shower for a few minutes.
You don’t want to turn the water down all the way. If you are too cold, you will start to shiver and heat up. Decrease the temperature but make sure you remain comfortable.
9. Cook Outside
Keep your oven and stove off on hot days. Even if they are small, they will heat up your kitchen, and that heat can spread to the rest of your house.
Go grilling if you want to cook something. Pull your grill away from the house and cook on it. Eat out on the patio and then head in as the sunsets.
10. Go to Sleep in the Basement
Many people sleep in the upper levels of the house. This is a bad idea in the summertime. Heat rises, so it is impossible to stay cool while sleeping up high.
Head down into your basement and go to sleep there. If you don’t have a bedroom there, sleep in your living room on the ground floor. Sleep in breathable linen-like low-thread cotton.
Summer Cooling Strategies
Summer cooling is a necessity. Take some different approaches so you can escape the heat.
Maintain your air conditioning unit and fans. Add evaporative coolers if you are concerned about your electric bill. Draw your blinds and weatherize your windows so heat does not leak its way in.
Exercise so you can sweat. Drink water and take a cold shower when you’re done. Cook your meals outside and then sleep in the basement.
Get help when you need to stay cool. Unique Air Heating and Cooling is North Carolina’s leading HVAC services company. Schedule a service today.