Keep the Heat Out * Add weather stripping around doors and windows. This helps seal your home, preventing hot air from infiltrating while keeping cool air inside. * Caulk and seal around plumbing openings. Small gaps and openings around plumbing penetrations often go unnoticed, but they have the same effect as a hole in the wall. Sealing these openings blocks hot air from the outside and keeps cool air inside. * Use Energy Star doors and windows. Energy Star–qualified products will cost more up front, but they’ll help save energy by reducing heating and cooling costs. * Install reflective window films. Install window films that block solar heat gain, reducing the cooling load on your AC unit. * Keep sunlight out. Close your blinds, shades, drapes, and curtains during the warmest parts of the day, particularly on the sunny side of your home. This will help keep your home cooler, reducing the workload on your AC unit. * Open the windows at night. Take advantage of natural ventilation by opening your windows at night once it’s cooled down. This uses free outdoor air to cool your home, allowing you to shut off the AC. Just don’t forget to close the windows in the morning! * Plant shade trees and shrubbery. Planting trees, hedges, and other shrubs on the sunny sides of your home can provide natural shading and cooling. This reduces the solar heat gain during the summer months. In addition, shading your AC’s condensing unit with shrubs or trees can also reduce its energy use. * Add or upgrade insulation. Insulation isn’t only for the winter time—it’s also useful during the summer. Proper insulation will help keep your house cool by preventing hot air from creeping in. * Ventilate your attic. Heat can build up in attics, particularly in hot, sunny climates. Proper ventilation will help remove that heat to the outdoors; otherwise that heat can “drop in” to your home, keeping the inside warm long after it’s cooled off outside. A qualified contractor can assist with this.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 18:10:33 +0000
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