Summer is one of the most enjoyable seasons for most of us, but the constant heat can tend to get oppressive during the long days and balmy nights. Keeping cool and staying comfortable is important, but cranking up the A/C isn’t always ideal. Using A/C more often naturally means higher energy costs. But that doesn’t mean that the only way to keep your house cool is by turning on the air. Instead, there are other, more affordable ways to keep your house at an agreeable temperature that will still allow you to enjoy the summer without sweating and sticking to clothes, sheets, and furniture.
Fans
Evaporation is a cooling process, and moving air currents aid evaporation. It’s like putting the windows in your car down instead of turning on the A/C – getting the air moving in your house can help you stay cooler, especially with a few tricks. Large standing fans or fans with heads that rotate are great, but window fans can be particularly useful, especially because many of them have an exhaust function to spin the blades the opposite way in order to remove hot air from a warm room during the day. Another cool trick you can try is filling a bowl with ice water right in front of a fan to get a nice, misty breeze coming your way.
Nighttime Air
The air at night is naturally cooler than the air during the day, so it’s important to take advantage of getting the cooler air in at night to fill your house for the coming day. If you have window fans that blow warm air out of the room during the day, now is the time to switch them to blow in the cool air from outside into the room. Keeping windows open during the night throughout the house is a good idea, but make sure to close them in the morning as the day starts to heat up.
Shadings
Having the right pair of shades can mean the difference between your house being an oven or a cool oasis. Investing in a pair of shadings like the HunterDouglas Silhouette or Pirouette will keep your house cool and will look great too. The Silhouette and the Pirouette are both beautiful additions to any room, but they also diffuse harsh exterior light as it enters your house through windows. These shadings have fabric sheer backings and soft vanes that allow you to spread light out evenly throughout a room while also keeping out bright light, UV rays, and glare which can keep your house cooler and more comfortable.
At Beyond Shades serving Elmhurst, IL & surrounding areas, we can help you find the perfect shade that will not only keep your home cool, but protect your home furnishings. To Learn more, click here to contact us.
Incandescent Lights
The lightbulb that Thomas Edison invented is no longer the lightbulb of today, and for good reason. Incandescent light bulbs give off almost 90 percent of their energy as heat energy. The design is extremely inefficient, and the result is a house that is hotter than it needs to be whenever the lights are on. For a more energy efficient, cooler lighting system, make the switch to compact fluorescent bulbs throughout your house.
Keep Your Body Cool
Keeping your house cool is important, but your body is equally to blame for getting so warm. If you could feasibly lower the temperature of your body, it wouldn’t matter as much that your house were so warm. The good news is you can! Sip on cool, tasty, iced drinks throughout the day like pitchers of iced tea and lemonade that stay in the fridge, and instead of drinking a hot coffee in the morning, make your coffee the night before and put it in the fridge for the morning. Even something as simple as running cold water over your wrists or your face a few times throughout the day can make a dramatic difference in the way your body feels in the heat. By incorporating these kinds of things into your daily routine, you’ll be sure to feel more comfortable throughout the warmer months.
Summer can be a fun time of year, but not when you’re suffering in a home that just won’t cool down. By following these tips, you’ll be able to stay cooler without having to resort to cranking up the A/C and getting stuck with paying money for high energy bills that could instead be spent on vacations or cookouts.
Jessica Kane is a professional writer who has an interest in interior design and home decor. She currently writes for Designer Drapery Hardware, a leading vendor of all types of drapery hardware such as rods, finials, and brackets.
