The dark days of winter are behind us, and we’re now motoring towards the heat of summer at a rate of knots. That means that thoughts will turn from how you can best keep your house warm to how you can best keep it cool.
It’s a particularly probing question for the 21st century. 2018 was the fourth-warmest summer in history in the United States with an average temperature of 73.53 degrees, and if 2019 is a similar story, then we’ll all be desperately trying to stay cool. Here are six tips for keeping your home cool in a summer heatwave.
Close the curtains
When the sun’s out, our first temptation is to open the curtains to let the light in. However, you’re essentially turning your home into a greenhouse when you do so. If you keep your curtains or blinds shut throughout the long summer days, you aren’t allowing light in, and it will prevent your home from warming up.
Ensure your air conditioning unit is in good working order
There’s nothing worse than reaching the height of summer in July and your air conditioning unit breaking down. Imagine if the temperature reached the highest ever recorded on Earth of 134 degrees, and your HVAC system chose that particular moment to stop working? Ensure that doesn’t happen by having a professional like those at HVAC repair Chicago take a look at the unit before summer arrives to ensure it is in good working order ahead of the heatwave.
Turn a hot water bottle into a cold water bottle
With winter over, you might have stored your hot water bottle away with your blankets, your thermals, and all the other winter warmers. If that’s the case, then you’ll want to get it out again. You can fill a hot water bottle with cold water and then stick it in the freezer, giving you a homemade ice pack ready and waiting for whenever you need it.
Ditch the hot food
You might love hot dinners but cooking up a feast in the kitchen can turn your house into an oven. Summer isn’t the time to slaving over a hot stove; instead, take the opportunity to prepare some of the best summer dinner recipes around such as healthy salads and meals made from fresh local produce. Not only will it stop the home overheating, but it will improve your diet as well.
Turn off the lights
All lights – even those which are environmentally friendly – give off heat. Given how much sunlight there is in summer, there is no excuse to have lights turned on throughout the summer until the sun has disappeared and they are genuinely required. Switch off the lights to reduce the temperature in the home.
Switch off from technology
Light bulbs aren’t the only source of artificial light that radiate heat. Switching off from your phone, your tablet, and your computer will reduce the temperature in your home. These devices also emanate heat when they are on charge, so don’t plug them in overnight unless it is strictly necessary.
