Heat Wave: 5 Ways to Keep Your House Cool

With summer heat baking just about every region in the country, consider these tips for helping you and your house stay cool.

Plant Trees Around Your House

Obviously this is not going to provide you a lot of relief from the heat this year, but in future years, it’s still going to be hot during the summertime. Plant trees strategically so they’ll offer up good shade to your home in the afternoon during the summer. It can make a big difference on your electric bill.

Keep Shades Closed on Sun-Facing Windows

Perhaps it’s obvious that you should keep shades closed on windows facing direct sun, but are you really doing it? This can make a huge difference, especially when you aren’t home, in keeping your place cooler and your energy bills lower. It’s estimated that white blinds can reduce solar heat gain by 40-50 percent.

Keep Your Air Conditioner Clean

This is extremely important. Outdoor units can actually get clogged from weed pollen and other materials that are floating around in our outside air. Spray your unit down to make sure all plant debris is washed away from the unit. Make sure the filters are cleaned or changed monthly.

Chill in the Basement

For those lucky enough to have a basement, it’s always cooler there, and it’s where you should stay when there’s a heat wave. If your basement isn’t finished, consider it one of your next home improvement projects.

Run Dehumidifiers and Fans

Using a combination of air conditioning set a few degrees higher than is normally comfortable, with ceiling fans running, allows you to save a huge amount on your electric bill. Keeping ceiling fans running allows you to set the thermostat higher and still be comfortable. Same actually goes for winter time heating as well, so make sure you purchase and install ceiling fans that are reversable.

If you have other ideas for staying cool during the hot summertime, share them with us. Just click the comment link below and tell us how you stay cool.