With summer comes the hot and humid weather.
This warmer air and higher humidity levels can seep into your home and make it harder to get comfortable. You might notice this especially when you’re trying to sleep at night.
During the summer, many of us look for ways to reduce the temperature and humidity levels indoors without running up a huge electric bill, and there are several ways you can do this.
As your trusty companion, I’m going to list several easy ways for how to keep your home cool in the summer, as well as warmer on those cooler nights without costing you a lot of money.
Close Your Blinds
One very easy way to drop the temperature in your home is to close the blinds during the hottest part of the day. Your windows can act as a magnifying glass and beam rays of sunlight straight into your home, especially the windows that face west and south.
Simply by closing your blinds or external shutters in the morning and leaving them closed for the majority of the day, you can drastically reduce how hot it gets indoors.
Follow these tips, and the temperature should only raise around one degree per hour when the outside temperature is between 80 and 90 degrees.
Use a Dehumidifier
Buying a cheap dehumidifier can help to reduce the humidity levels in your home. These devices are very useful all over your house, but they do extremely well in areas that have a lot of water or damp areas like the bathroom or in a basement.
How much your dehumidifier lowers your home’s humidity depends on several factors including the surrounding environment and the existing humidity level. The goal is to reach a humidity range of 35 to 40%. At this level, the air feels more cool and comfortable.
If you get your humidity levels low enough, you can reduce the number of dust mites and allergens you have in your home as well. These critters can’t survive in low humidity. I recently reviewed the cheapest dehumidifier available so take a look at that page if you’re interested in learning more.
Switch Out Your Lightbulbs
Over the past few years, more and more people have been switching to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or LED bulbs with good reason.
Did you know that incandescent bulbs waste a huge amount of their energy as heat? If you’re still using them, you should know that each bulb can waste up to 90% of their energy by emitting heat.
Switching out to a cooler and more energy efficient option can make a small difference in how warm your home is during the summer months.
Start Grilling Out
If your home is already hot, the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven to cook. It will raise the temperature in your home, and it can quickly get too uncomfortable levels.
So, fire up your outdoor grill when it comes time to cook.
You’ll get to enjoy the taste of flame-grilled food, and you’ll be to enjoy the beautiful summer weather while you’re at it. You can even eat outside on your patio or porch when you finish cooking.
Adjust Your Ceiling Fan’s Direction
If you don’t have an air conditioner but you have ceiling fans, you can easily create what’s known as the windchill effect by switching the direction they rotate in. Your fan doesn’t have to be going on the highest setting for it to work either.
When it starts to get hot, switch your ceiling fan’s direction, so it runs counter-clockwise. This will make it seem like there is a gentle breeze going through your home, and it’ll feel cooler.
In the winter, switch the direction to clockwise and enjoy the warm updrafts that it pulls down to you.
Stay Warm on Cool Nights
Even if it’s extremely hot during the daytime, temperatures can sometimes drop enough at night that it seems chilly. If this happens, you don’t want to have to switch on your furnace and heat the whole house because this can get expensive, and it can make any upstairs rooms too hot.
Using small and portable cheap electric fireplace heaters will help to keep whichever room you’d like warm. They’re also great for having out in your screened in porch or patio so you can enjoy the beautiful summer evenings longer. They don’t cost a lot to run, and you can move them from room to room as you need it.
Consider a Window or Portable AC Unit
Central air is expensive, especially if you plan to run it for days on end when it gets extremely hot outside. It can also cool unnecessary parts of the house that you don’t spend a lot of time in or necessarily need cooler.
Buying a small window AC unit or a portable AC unit is a great way to cool the main areas of your home where you spend most of your time. You don’t have to run them constantly, but if you turn them on in the morning and combine it with closing your shades, you have a great way to keep your home cool.
Bottom Line
These seven easy tips and tricks can help you keep cool during the hot summer days and warm on the cool summer nights without racking up a huge energy bill.
Although we listed some unique home gadgets above, you don’t have to use them all. Just experiment and see which ones work best for your home and family.
Your pal,
Trusty Joe
