Did you know, July and August are the hottest months of the year here in Florida. While the beaches and pools are a great way to keep cool during these summer months, keeping your home cool can be a challenge. It also comes at a cost when you see that electric bill, but, there are some ways you can take the strain off your AC, and help your home stay cooler. We’ve put together a list of things you can do that range from quick and free, to others which may take longer or require some financial investment.
#1. Use Ceiling Fans
- Fans circulate the air in your rooms, helping you feel cooler.
- During summer months, ensure the fan is spinning clockwise in order to push cooler air downwards.
- Larger blades have more surface area, which in turn will circulate more air.
#2. Cook Outdoors
- Summer is the perfect time to grill outdoors. Oven, griddles, and ranges generate quite a bit of heat, which will quickly warm up your home. Try to do most of your cooking outdoors to eliminate that excess heat from entering your home.
#3. Add Window Treatments
- According to the Department of Energy, window treatments can reduce heat gain by up to 77%!
- Direct sunlight can really warm up your home.
- Try keeping curtain and blinds closed during the day in rooms you’re not using.
#4. Showers
- We all love taking a nice hot shower, but hot showers create a lot of excess heat and humidity in the home.
- Take cooler showers
- Take shorter showers
- Run your bathroom exhaust fan for about 30 minutes after your shower to help remove excess heat and humidity.
#5. Seal Gaps and Cracks
- Reducing the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home is a cost-effective way to cut heating and cooling costs.
#6. Use LED Bulbs
- Incandescent bulbs which are common in homes can generate quite a bit of heat.
- Replacing standard bulbs with energy efficient LED bulbs can help cut back on heat.
#7. Maintain Your HVAC Filter
- A clean HVAC filter will allow your system to run efficiently and consume less energy.
- Check your filter monthly
- If it’s dirty, replace it with a new one.
#8. Do Laundry at Night
- Just as we mentioned with the oven, your dryer generates a lot of heat too.
- Running your dryer at night when ambient temperatures are lower, helps your AC not work as hard to cool the house.
- If you have the option, drying on an outdoor closeline is a great alternative to a dryer. Not only will it eliminate heat in doors, it’ll also cut back on electricity.
#9. Insulate Your Attic
- Simply put, insulation blocks the transfer of heat that is trying to enter your home, mainly, your ceiling.
- Age, wear, and moisture intrusion all reduce the effectiveness of your home’s attic insulation. If your insulation is over 10 years old, you could see an energy savings between 20-40%.
#10. Landscape Your Yard
- Trees which shade your home can significantly reduce the amount of heat.
- This one may be more of a long term improvement, but is completely worth it in the longterm.
- Plant trees along the southern and western sides of your home which experience the most direct sunlight.
Utilizing any one of these tips will be sure to help keep your home cooler and more energy efficient throughout these warm summer months.