Summer’s coming, everyone. We’ve had a few gorgeous days of weather over the last couple of months, which has reminded us that now is the time to prepare for the season ahead. June and July is when the heat comes on full-blast in the Seattleland area, so we’ve compiled 5 helpful hints to cool your home, aside from the obvious solution of A/C or a multitude of fans taking up every outlet of your home. Even just following these simple steps can help immensely!

Ways To Cool Your Home

Lower the Shades

You can use the option to close your windows for the entire day to keep heat out, but if you miss the scent of fresh summer air, you can still cool your house down without going that drastic. Survey your home to determine when the sun hits the hardest and keep your shades and windows closed during that time. White window shades can be an added cooling aspect, but darker colors will absorb more heat. If you want to use air conditioning sparingly, this would be the best time of day to turn it on, using an energy-efficient setting. If you use a ceiling fan with your air conditioning unit, the air circulation will also increase the cool air flow.

Don’t Increase the Heat Load

Obviously, cooking creates a greater heat load in the house (summer is a great time for fresh salads and outdoor BBQ, or even an occasional set-it-and-forget-it crockpot meal, like this coffee-rubbed roast), but while we’re talking indoors: appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers can also generate a considerable amount of hot air. This can make it tough to cool your home for hours, even after they haven’t been in use. Keep appliances off during the day whenever possible, and if you must turn on the gas range or oven, only do it during the coolest times of the day.

Ventilate to Cool Your Home

Take advantage of the cooler days by using window fans. Window fans will maximize the cooling capacity by taking the cooler air from outside and bringing it inside. Keep all of your doors open and the fans situated on your house’s downwind side, facing out. When the temperature gets warmer, close the windows and trap the cooler air from earlier in the day inside.

Insulate

Make sure that your home is well-insulated around your windows and doors. Don’t forget to double check the insulation around air ducts in the basement and attic. If you have a fireplace, you should make sure that it is sealed. It may be allowing outside heat in.

Cast shade

Planting trees outside your house will cast large shadows on the sides of your house. It will significantly cool your home inside if you can invest the time it takes for them to grow. Keep in mind that even small trees can generate breeze. With that, you will experience some heat relief immediately upon planting.

Do you have any helpful tips for cooling down your home when the weather heats up? We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a comment or your feedback on what’s worked for you. Also fee free to contact us if you need help with your home plans.