Every summer the heat and humidity in this city kills me. At least it's a good excuse to take a cold shower and get that really refreshed feeling.
I own a small air conditioner that I use in my bedroom at night to cut down on the humidity and cool the room so that sleep is at least bearable. But since I don’t want to spend this whole summer or heat wave in my bedroom I searched the internet for tips on how to keep my house cool. Here are some of the best tips that I was able to find.
1) The first and most important step is to keep the sun out. You can do this a few ways:
a) Make sure that your curtains are drawn during the day to block the sun from coming in and heating the place up.
b) Bamboo mats for the exterior of the window. I thought this was a neat idea because the mats are cheap and will still let some sunlight through the gaps in the weave. In the evening you can just roll them up.
c) Awnings over the windows. The idea is that they are short enough to block most of summer’s direct sunlight and not winter’s. This option is the most expensive of the three. It isn’t always the best looking, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
2) During the hot humid days it’s better to keep your windows shut so the outside air doesn’t come in. When it begins to cool in the evening and the outside temperature is cooler than inside then you should open your windows to allow the cooler air in. If you’re one of those people who need to feel a breeze I recommend setting up a small fan. The breeze from the fan will make you feel several degrees cooler.
3) Direct sunlight and hot air will heat up your home quickly, but there are other culprits at play too. Lights get really hot when they are on and will therefore heat your home. If you have to have the lights on make sure that they are LEDs or CLFs because they give off very little heat. Halogen and incandescent lighting produces a lot of heat.
4) When doing your laundry do it at night when it’s cooler out. If you have to do the wash try not to use the dryer and take advantage of the heat drying properties of the sun. Running the dryer is like running the oven, it gets really hot!
5) Speaking of running ovens, don’t they get really hot! Plus summer time is BBQ season. If you don’t have the space for a full-sized BBQ there are many smaller options available for grilling on balconies.
6) Since we live in the northern hemisphere we get the sun’s hottest, most direct, rays to the south and west sides of our homes. If you live in a condo you won’t have to worry about this because chances are they are building another condo to block the view from your condo. But if you live in a house you’ll want to do some landscaping. Planting evergreens or other trees to the south of your home will help block the sun. If you have paving or stone work or are thinking about installing some remember that it will reflect a lot of the sun’s heat onto your home. So shading the pavement will not only make your home look nicer it will also make it a lot cooler too.
7) Electrical appliances have motors and motors give off heat. If you have a dishwasher hold off on running it until it’s cooler out or when you’re going to bed. You could also unplug you’re fridge, but then your food would last very long.
8) Electronic devices also give off heat and for the most part are always using electricity, even when turned off. I’ve found the best option is to put all of your electronics on powerbars. That way you can just flick the switch on the bar and everything is actually off.
9) Computers and monitors are another heat culprit. Your computer and monitor both give off heat. At the very least turn off your monitor. If you’re not using your computer turn it off too.
10) Modems. These suckers get hot. I can understand leaving your computer on because it takes forever to boot up. But if you’re not using your internet unplug the modem. Not only will this save you money, it will also keep you cool.
This wasn't meant to be a top ten list, but has turned out that way.
