Going into the warm summer months everyone is looking for a place to cool down. To make your home cool and comfortable consider options that keep your home cool without increasing your hydro costs. Keeping your home cool without using lots of electricity is also great for the environment too.

 

1. Draw Blinds in the Day

Keeping blinds closed in the day to deter the sunlight from entering your home and heating it up can make a big impact to the temperature of your home. Also, consider changing or adding thermal blocking blinds and curtains, if that is not what you have already.

 

2. Plant a Shade Tree

Planting trees near your home to provide shade is not a new idea, however it is a smart idea. Points of consideration are the size of the trees and proximity to the home, so you can ensure that the shade provided is beneficial.

 

3. Fan with Ice

Placing a bowl of ice in front of a fan will cool and then circulate cool air in the home. As the ice melts the cool air that enters the atmosphere is what the fan will circulate instead of the oppressive heat that may have accumulated in the home.

 

4. Swap Bedding

Consider having seasonal sheets for both summer and winter. Swap out the high thread count sheets and heavy comforters for lower thread count sheets and removing the comforter for a more appropriate summer option.

 

5. Adjust Ceiling Fan Direction

This is easy to forget, but ensure that you change the direction of the ceiling fan in summer to counter-clockwise. This will ensure that cool air is being circulated downward, as opposed to the winter setting which redistributes warm air.

 

6. Open Windows at Night

Getting a cross breeze at night by opening windows when temperatures are cooler is a great way to let the warm air out and let cool air in. Just ensure that you close windows again early in the morning before the temperatures rise again.

 

7. Change Light Bulbs

Incandescent bulbs emit heat so consider swapping them out for LED lights which virtually emit no added heat. You may realize a difference in a degree or two in the home as a result to changing light bulbs.

 

8. BBQ

Opt to BBQ your dinners instead of cooking them inside, as using the oven in the summer can heat the kitchen and that heat will rise.

 

9. White Windows Shades

Change any shades in the home to white, if they aren’t already, as it will repel the sunlight from entering the home and thus keep it cooler.

 

10. Change A/C Filters

Clogged air conditioning filters can reduce their efficiency and dust and particles slow the air pressure. Regularly change the air conditioning filters and increase the frequency of changing the filters if you own pets or have allergies.