Keep your house cooler this summer

Cooling your home during the summer doesn’t mean using expensive air conditioning, worrying about rising energy prices, or harming the environment. Keeping your home cool this summer is easier with these green ways.

  1. Install ceiling fans – installing ceiling fans will cool your home in an eco-friendly way because it uses less electricity than an AC unit. The ceiling fan is available in hardware stores and can be installed easily by a licensed electrician. Make sure your fans are turning counter-clockwise to push the hot air up and cool you down.
  1. Keep the windows closed during the day – Shutting the windows off your home during daylight hours will prevent humidity and heat from entering your home. Outside air is hot, don’t let it circulate around your house. Ventilate your home with fans or open the windows and shades at night to let the evening air cool your home. You can also use cross-ventilation by having more than two windows open to bring cool air inside and push the warm air out.
  1. Provide shade – Most unwanted heat comes from windows, buy double-layered blackout curtains or purpose-designed window shades to reduce the heat gain from the sun. Your east and west-facing windows should have window shades to prevent the hot direct sunlight from entering the house. If you don’t want to block the sunlight, you can use bamboo drapes to naturally ventilate the house.
  1. Put reflective film to your windows – using reflective or sun control film to your windows will effectively reduce the heat from the sun and help to filter the ultraviolet rays. Using reflective film can help keep your home cooler this summer.
  1. Plant a tree – the greenest way you can go to keep your home cool is by planting a tree. Having trees around your home will give a lot of shade in the summer. Even smaller plants will have a cooling effect, as the breeze moving through them will lessen humidity and cool the surrounding area. Growing vines on your walls will act as insulation and cool your home.
  1. Decorate with indoor plants – Plants are not only for aesthetic purposes; certain indoor plants can keep the air around them cool. Plants keep the house cool when they release water vapour during transpiration. The moisture released by these plants helps maintain indoor humidity. Proper use of plants can decrease air temperature by 10 degrees.
  1. Replace your lights – incandescent light bulbs emit a lot of heat. Replace your incandescent light bulbs to energy-saving LED and CFL lights. LED lights are more eco-friendly than traditional lightbulbs and they don’t get warm nor contribute to the rising level of heat in your home.
  1. Cooldown the kitchen – cooking by using a stove or oven produces heat that can cause the temperature in the house to rise. Choose your cooking times appropriately refrain from cooking during the day and do your cooking in the evenings. Keep your house cool by eating more fresh food during the day and cook when the sun sets.
  1. Run appliances at night – running appliances add more heat in the air during the summer season. Your oven, stove, dishwasher, and dryer create heat when in use. Avoid using these appliances during the day. Running these heat-generating appliances during the night will enable you to avoid unnecessary heat in your home.
  1. Paint your house white – one way to ensure that your house absorbs less sunlight is to paint your house white or other light shade. Using white to paint your roofs and walls will help deflect sunlight. Painting your roofs and walls white can keep your home cooler by reflecting the sun’s rays away from your home.
  1. Use the basement more – if your house has a basement spend more time there when you’re not outdoors. Your basement is usually the coolest place in the house because hot air rises and cool air falls in the basement. Stay cool by staying in the basement more often during the summer.
  1. Switch your sheets and pillows – Use cotton sheets and pillows during the summer. You can also use buckwheat and rice pillows during the summer because they have a naturally cooling effect and don’t hold on to your body heat as other pillow materials can.

If you must use your air conditioner, use a high-efficiency air conditioning unit. Replace your older unit with a modern high-efficiency model. Do not buy too big AC for your home because it can actually waste energy. Consult an electrician to get the right size.

Keeping your home cool during the summer doesn’t mean having huge energy bills. Use these 12 green ways to help you stay cool without draining your bank account. You will save more money and help protect the environment.