Keeping it cool in August
By the time August rolls around, most of us will have had just about enough of the blistering heat that we so desperately pleaded with Mother Nature to bring us just a few short months ago. If you’re not escaping to the cabin for the month, here are a few easy ways to help keep your home from becoming an oven.
Cover those windows. Of course, windows are one of the biggest factors when it comes to keeping the heat out, especially those that face West or South. Cover your windows from late morning to early evening with insulated blinds or blackout shades in a neutral colour. Once the sun goes down, open up windows on opposing sides of the home to get a lovely cross breeze going. Double up with thermal window tinting, large leafy trees, or exterior awnings for a more permanent solution if you’re extra serious about getting some relief from le soleil.
Don’t kill your air conditioner. If you’re lucky enough to have an AC, don’t kill it by leaving it off all day while you’re gone to work, and then expect it to cool down the house in half an hour once you get home. Set your thermostat to a higher temperature during the day, but don’t turn off the AC completely. If you wait until the hottest time of the day to turn it on, you might burn out, or, freeze up the unit and be left pleading with a service technician to rescue you - on a weekend, in the middle of a football game. A programmable thermostat set to keep things manageable during the day and then cool down the house just before you get home would be ideal.
Maximize the effects of your fans. If you don’t have an AC, you likely have fans, but are you using them all to their fullest potential? Ceiling fans rotating in a counterclockwise direction (when looking up at the fan) push air straight down for a cooling effect. You may also point a fan toward an open window to blow the hot air out. Run bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans as well to help expel hot air, and if your furnace has a “fan-only” mode use this to circulate air throughout the home.
Swap incandescent bulbs for LED. Incandescent bulbs can throw some serious heat. Ever tried to change one after it’s been on for a while? Ouch! Switching to LEDs will help to avoid adding any unnecessary and unwanted warmth to your interior spaces. And if all else fails…
Create a cave. Find the coolest room in your home, probably the basement, or a north-facing room, and move in. Cover over the windows, close the door and make this space your haven from the sticky, sweaty reality that lies outside. A cool sleep on an air mattress or a couch is likely still better than a restless sleep in a 2nd storey bedroom. (Bonus: If you have kids, make it fun and pretend you’re camping.) A portable AC unit can also do wonders to cool at least one room in your home. Let in only those who bring iced capps or cold beers to your cave. Here’s to an enjoyable summer!
written by: Monique St. Cyr for MeroSellsHomes
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