According to statistics from Climate Central, we’re in for a pretty warm summer this year. Research also suggests that ambient temperatures are getting hotter, and the average summer now lasts even longer than it used to. If you feel like 2022 is warmer than the years before, that would be exactly because it is! Since 1970, more than 80 percent of US cities have reported rising summer temperatures. Rising global temperatures mean that it might take a little more work to keep your home cool during the summer months than it has in the past.
Ways to Keep Your Home Cool in the Summer
Are you overheating in your own home during a harsh summer? Do you need to cool your home down in a hurry?
Here’s what to know about the most practical ways to keep your home cool in the summer, even if you have to reign in the summer heat on a strict budget.
1. Portable Air Conditioning
An A.C. unit doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars to install. When most people think of air-conditioning, they think of huge and bulky machines that require professional installation. However, there are other air conditioner options that can still cool down your home but are also much cheaper than the standard AC units we’re all used to.
Portable air-conditioning units are smaller than the average washing machine or drier. Although they are small, they can still provide a flow of cool air throughout the home.
Thanks to their comparatively smaller size, a portable air conditioner doesn’t have the same energy costs as a traditional A.C. unit, making them perfect for making any room in your home feel cooler.
2. Hang Heavier Curtains
Thick, heavy curtains could be the solution you need to help you block out the heat from the outside.
Most of the heat during the summer months will come from the outside of the home (especially as sunlight hits the house). The use of heavy curtains helps to keep cool air inside and removes the potential of warm air and sunlight making their way in during the hottest parts of the day.
3. Use Blinds
If you don’t have the benefit of hanging heavy, blackout curtains throughout the home, you could switch to using blinds instead. Closing your blinds can serve the same purpose as thicker curtains, and help to block some of the heat and light away from the home.
When temperatures rise outside, you want to seal in as much cold air inside the home while keeping most of the heat outside.
4. Plants or Trees
If you have some time to prepare for summer, get into the garden or grab some pots and introduce plants or trees into your space.
Inside the home, simple potted plants can help to distribute warm air throughout the house which helps to cool down your space. If we’re talking about the outside of your house, the presence of plants or trees can do the same job as curtains or blinds. Plants or trees will help block off the heat from reaching your house on the hottest summer days.
5. The Sheet Solution
If the heat has become unbearable, try this simple hack to cool down the house fast. Hang a wet sheet in front of an open window. While the air is flowing in, the presence of a wet sheet helps to cool the air down as it passes through. You’ll feel the difference in just a few minutes after hanging the sheet.
Ideally, choose the largest window in the house for this, or the one that leads air to most of the rest of the home.
The point is that it functions like an air-conditioning unit, but without the added expense of one.
6. Water Features
The introduction of even a small water feature to your house can help distribute cool air to other rooms. Water features can serve the same function as a humidifier, which can help to take the sting out of dry and hot air.
If you don’t want to run up your heating and cooling costs with full-time A.C., just switch on the water feature.
7. Open the Windows
When temperatures rise in your home, the best bet is to open the windows to let some of the warm air circulate out. However, if the temperature on the outside is hotter, be careful – you might also let some colder air (from the inside) out by accident.
Combine opening the windows with other methods of cooling down to guarantee the best results.
Additional Information: Spring and Summer Energy-Saving Tips
Discount Window and Door of Omaha
At Discount Window and Door of Omaha, we are committed to providing the best quality doors and replacement windows. We employ the most skilled installers to ensure the highest standard of quality service. Our Omaha door and window installers are highly trained, certified industry professionals with years of experience, including some second and third-generation employees.