Summer Home Preparation Tips: How to Be Ready for The Summer Heat
When summer starts setting in, and temperatures start rising, your home gets warmer as well. You need to prepare it to maintain a cool and comfortable environment properly. Here are a few tips to help you!
11/10/2021
Summertime is lovely. Nature is thriving. People are happier and more relaxed. And, everybody starts thinking about vacations. But there is also the downside of scorching temperatures that can get really uncomfortable at times.
Luckily, you can do things to prepare your home to remain a cool and comfy environment despite the scorching temperatures outside. This is also essential to avoid the high energy costs and problems with your home’s electric system.
Here’s how to prepare your home for the summer heat:
Update your home’s insulation
Homeowners often misunderstand home insulation. Many people believe that the only purpose of insulation is to prevent hot air from inside the home going outside.
Yet, truth be told, home insulation helps you maintain the desired temperature in your house all year round, not just in winter. A well-insulated property is very energy efficient by not allowing cold or hot air to circulate inside or outside of the house.
So, make sure that you check your home’s insulation to keep cool air in your home and hot air out. Here are a few tips for inspecting and updating your property’s insulation:
Inspect and measure the thickness of any insulation.
• Detect any air leaks.
• Look for dirty spots on your ceiling and carpet. This can indicate air leaks.
• Add more insulation on top of existing insulation in your attic.
Install a programmable thermostat
A programmable thermostat can be a life-saver on sweltering summer days. This small device allows you to set automatic temperature controls to ensure that your home is maintained at a specific temperature that you find comfortable. Thermostats also help you save energy and keep your energy costs low.
How do programmable thermostats work? They
turn your AC system on or off, according to a
pre-set schedule as you decide.
Now, the
difference between a basic thermostat and a
programmable one is that the basic one only
maintains the same temperature indoors all day
long. In contrast, programmable thermostats are
smarter than that. They allow you to set
specific temperatures at different times of the
day. For example, you can set the thermostat to
maintain a cooler temperature during the time of
the day with the hottest temperatures and
increase the set temperature as outside it gets
chiller.
Using a programmable thermostat will keep your home cool and nicely suitable for your lifestyle and ensure that costs stay low.
Have your AC system checked and updated
Speaking of AC systems, your air conditioner is your best friend during the hot summer months. So, there are few things that are as annoying as having your air conditioner act up on a hot summer day.
So, make sure that before summer settles in for good, you get your AC unit checked by aircon experts in your area. You can do a few basic things yourself, too, like cleaning it, replacing thermostat batteries, or changing the air filter. Yet, for a proper checkout of the unit and potential repairs to ensure that your AC will get you through the summer, it’s wiser to call in the experts.
Practice smart landscaping
How you plan your outdoor space can also have an impact on the temperatures inside your home during summer. More precisely, you can plant green thumbs strategically near your home’s windows, especially those that are exposed to direct sunlight. These plants will prevent the windows from transferring excess heat into your house.
Don’t forget to bring nature inside your home too. When temperatures rise, air tends to get more unbreathable, even suffocating. But a few indoor plants can help you with that. There are certain house plants that can help filter the air in your home and improve its quality. Plants like English Ivy, Spider Plant, Aloe Vera, Snake Plant, and Barberton Daisy are all plants that have the power to purify the air.
Install ceiling fans in essential rooms
Another thing you can do to prepare your home for summer is to install ceiling fans in the rooms you spend the most time in. For example, maybe you need some extra cool air in rooms like the living room, the kitchen, or the bedroom. You can obtain that by using ceiling fans in such high-trafficked rooms.
Ceiling fans work on a wind-chill effect by pulling the hot air against the ceiling and pushing it back down to stimulate a chilled breeze air circulation. Make sure that you set your ceiling fans to turn in a counter-clockwise rotation.
Install awnings over windows
If using nature to cover exterior windows exposed to direct sunlight isn’t an option for you, another strategy you can use is to install awnings over these windows. Awnings can significantly reduce the amount of heat that enters your home through windows. These roof-like window covers shelter the window from being directly exposed to sunlight.
Seal doors and windows
Poor door and window insulation can also lead to significant air leaks, affecting the capability of your home to retain the desired temperature you create in your home. So, make sure that you also check doors and windows to see if there’s any leak happening.
How can you do that? For example, on a hot day, simply hold your hand a few inches away from the window or door frame and feel if there is any draft. A flame test with a candle also works to check if there are any air leaks. If you notice any leaks, make sure to update the insulation surrounding the frame.
Preparing your home for the summer heat isn’t that complicated but can get you a long way during the days with scorching temperatures. Use these tips above, and you’ll have a cool and comfortable summer in your home.