It seems to be a hot and long summer this year and therefore, cooling your house can be a difficult and expensive task. In fact, an average residential air conditioner consumes no less than 3,500 kWh. Your energy bill will increase considerably during the summer.
Fortunately, there are cheap and easy ways to lower your summer house cooling costs. You need only, to use your air conditioner less often and to rely more on other ways that can help you to cool your home.
1| Use More Fans
Box fans or circulating fans are easy ways to keep your house cooler during these hot summer months. You can place your box fans or circulated fans everywhere throughout your home. That will help to keep your environment cool.
It is known that circulating air is between 5 an 8 Fahrenheit degrees colder than the stagnating air. This can make a huge difference in your comfort. An 80 Fahrenheit (26-27 Celsius) degrees home feels like a comfortable and pleasant 72 or 75 Fahrenheit (22 or 24 Celsius) degrees environment.
2| Plants Hops, Shrubs or Bushes to Shade Your South Face Siding
Vertical gardening can be a smart way to create shade and cool your home. In fact, you can plant any type of vegetation that grows quickly and gives the much needed shade, such as hops or pool beans on a trellis. They can grow rapidly from the ground to your house roof eaves and you will benefit from their protective shadow.
3| Use Bamboo Blinds
Faux bamboo blinds are an effective way to prevent the sun heat getting inside your home, especially in the kitchen. Therefore, hanging bamboo blinds on the exterior of your kitchen windows can keep the inside temperature around to 75 degrees. Faux bamboo blinds are cheap and easy to install. They can last for many years with optimal care.
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4| Keep the Drapes, Curtains or Blinds Closed all the Time
You should know that letting the sunlight enter inside your house could raise the indoor temperature by 15 to 20 degrees. Closing and keeping your drapes, curtains or blinds closed and opening them only after sunset is another cheap and smart way to have your home cooler.
5| Open the Windows and Ventilate Your Home in the Morning
Opening the windows in the morning will circulate the stagnant inside air. It will create a difference in pressure that will draw the fresh cool morning air through your open windows while pushing out the warm inside air. In fact your whole home will act like a giant fan.
Your Home Interior Style and the Staircase (howtobuildahouseblog.com)
6| No Kitchen Activity after 1:00 pm
Imagine cooking or baking in a hot summer day, especially in the afternoon. All your kitchen appliances, such as range tops, ovens, stoves, and even dishwashers will raise the kitchen temperature at least 10 degrees. It is much better to use your dishwasher after sunset and to cook or bake only in the morning. A smart idea is to cook more on your outdoor barbecue.