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Summer is here, but we haven’t quite reached peak heat yet. It’s time to prepare! When we’re dealing with winter we can forget how unpleasant the hot months can be. July and August can be punishing months, and the uncomfortable heat often spills into September and even early October, too. In big, busy cities like New York City and London, the humidity and pollution mingle to create an atmosphere much like an oven. We may not be screaming for winter to return, but we end up wishing we’d taken steps towards acclimating home temperatures sooner!
Thankfully, it’s not too late to start taking steps towards keeping your home temperatures cool. After all, the really hot days of the year haven’t even struck us yet! We’re going to take a look at some of the more strategic considerations you have to make in order to stop the heat from baking you into submission.
3 Ways to Prepare Your Home Temperatures for the Heat of Summer
Air Conditioning
If you have air conditioning, it may have been a while since you last used it. Consider giving it a test run. You don’t want to find that it’s malfunctioning when it’s already boiling! If it’s not up to par, then you should check out exactly what the owner of an AC repair company did when his AC died! Give your AC a good inspection. It may not be broken, but there may be problems that will affect how well it works. Dust may have built up, which will harm the efficiency of the airflow.
You should also think about the temperature around the AC. If there’s direct sunlight on it, then it will warm up, leaving it unable to do its job properly. Don’t just rely on the AC, though. Make sure you get a good electric fan! These consume very small amounts of electricity when compared to an AC unit, and they can provide much more direct cooling. Fans are a great way to help circulate the cooled air throughout the home and helps to control the home temperatures evenly.
Sunlight
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west; this means that the windows facing east and west are going to get hit the most by that punishing sun! If rooms get flooded with sunlight, then they’ll become very hot quite quickly. You can get window treatments that help mitigate the effect of sunlight, which will help keep the home temperatures cool. Otherwise, blinds will help you get a good balance of sunlight-blocking and airflow.
You could also consider protecting those windows from heavy sunshine from the outside. This is a bit more unconventional than other cooling methods, but it can be tremendously helpful. Don’t plant some tree seeds and wait a decade or so; get some small potted trees to place just outside the window.
Routines that Heat You Up
Several things in your routine heat up both you and home temperatures. There’s exercise, cooking – heck, even tidying becomes an unpleasant chore in this weather! You should consider doing things later, during the cooler hours. Using the oven and dishwasher will also generate heat that will circulate. Delay heat-generating activities until evenings. This may involve changing up your routine, which can be inconvenient. But it’ll be worth it if it allows you to be cooler for longer!
Images Courtesy of Canva.
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About the Author: Patricia Davis Brown
