Keep The Heat Out of Your Home This Summer
Minnesota residents look forward to the summer months after enduring a long winter. Summer brings exciting outdoor activities like barbecues, fishing, swimming in the lakes, and pool parties. However, the intense heat of late July and early August may make you wish for the cooler spring and fall months. Fortunately, apart from relying on your air conditioner, there are ways to prevent excessive heat from entering your home this summer.
Adjust ceiling fans
Are your ceiling fans failing to bring you relief from the heat? It's possible that they are only circulating warm air. If your ceiling fans rotate in a clockwise direction, they're pushing warm air down from the ceiling, which can increase the heat in your room. In the summer, you need to switch the direction of the ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise, as this will circulate the cooler air sitting lower in the room. Additionally, it's a good idea to increase the speed of your ceiling fans when it's hot outside and reduce it when it gets cooler. Properly utilizing your ceiling fans in conjunction with your air conditioner can significantly enhance your home's comfort level.
Change the light bulbs
You might be surprised to learn that incandescent lightbulbs can warm your home during summer. The mechanism these lightbulbs use to brighten your home produces a lot of heat. Making the switch to energy-saving bulbs might not only cool your home but also save you significant money on energy costs.
Stop heat from entering
Would you like to spend less on cooling your home during the summer? If so, prevent the heat from entering your home in the first place. You can use things outside your windows like big plants, awnings, or window coverings from Budget Blinds to do this. You can also plant certain types of trees, such as birch or oak, that will shade your home in summer but not block sunlight in winter. Improving the insulation in your ceiling and tinting your windows can help, too.
Get a cross breeze going
You can cool your home without spending much money by creating a breeze that moves through your home. To do this, open the windows on one side of the house if the wind is blowing from that direction. Then, open the windows or doors on the other side of your home. This will help warm and still air to leave. The best types of windows to use for this are top-hung and slash windows, like those installed by Great Plains Windows and Doors. Open the bottom part of the window where the breeze is coming from, and open the top half of the windows on the other side. This way, any warm air stuck at the top of the room will move out.
Looking for more tips on how to cool your home naturally and save money? Check out our Facebook or Instagram page for more ideas. Learn how to create a cross breeze, plant the right trees, and more. Take advantage of this opportunity to keep your home cool and comfortable this summer!
