With the temperatures reaching over 100 degrees, we have a few ways to cool your house with the help of a contractor.
Regardless of where you are in the United States, the summers are getting hotter. 2016 was the hottest summer ever recorded, beating out the previous record which was set in 2015. It’s too early to say if 2017 will continue that trend, but with cities like Portland, OR experiencing nearly record setting heat, the odds are good. And even if it doesn’t break any records, it is still very, very hot outside and next year will likely be just as bad.
In order to combat the heat at your home, there are several things you can do – some big, some small. Installing AC units and stocking up on fans is the most common action, of course, but there are ways to make your home better suited for the weather. That, in turn, will keep your electricity costs down, make your house more eco-friendly, and just generally make for a cooler living experience. Plus, many of these changes can also help with other forms of extreme weather.
Choose Your HVAC System Wisely
If you are looking for a significant upgrade to your home or you need to replace a dying unit, it might be worth taking a look at your current HVAC system and seeing what you options are.
When it comes to selecting an HVAC, there are a lot of choices. Most people may generally shop by cost, which is understandable, but sometimes there is more to what you’ll pay than the price tag. Energy efficient HVAC units can help to lower your energy bill each month, and you may also qualify for tax credits based on the model you choose.
Of course, replacing an HVAC unit won’t be an option for everyone. It can be a costly and intrusive project, and some houses will require extensive work if they aren’t already designed with a modern HVAC unit in place. If, however, a new HVAC system is an option, speak to a construction team to see what options are available to you.
Natural Home Ventilation
If you are looking to make your home as eco-friendly as possible, you may be able to partially cool your home using natural home ventilation. This method may not help when the heat is so bad that it can melt asphalt, but for sane temperatures, they can offer some relief.
To start with, you should learn your local wind patterns. These are often based on geography, so they are unique to the home. Learning the wind patterns will allow you to take the most of them. The easiest way to do that is simply to observe the wind patterns by using a windsock or weather vane on your roof. Take notes and get a sense of how windy it is and when the weather changes, and open up your house to match.
This method alone won’t cool things down under extreme conditions, but the U.S Department of Energy estimates that for each degree below 78 degrees you set the AC, it raises your bill by as much as 8-percent. It may be worth the money if the heat is extreme enough, but you can augment the cooling using natural ventilation.
If you want to go one step further, you can even hire a construction team to install a turbine ventilator on your roof, which pulls warm air up and out of a building. You may already have one, but if not you should speak to a contractor about getting one installed.
New Windows
Windows are one of the best forms of insulation that many people tend to overlook.
Energy efficient windows are a huge advantage to houses looking to keep the interiors cool (or warm in the winter), which also means they can help to keep the energy bill down. Construction teams can order and install energy efficient windows in no time at all. This is something all home owners should consider.
There is an obvious downside, however – the cost. So if fully replacing every window isn’t realistic, there are other things you can do to make your windows more efficient.
To begin with, caulking the windows to prevent or fix any leaks is a great first step. Adding in some weather stripping and window treatments can also go a long way to keep your house better insulated. Using white curtains or window shades will also help to reflect the heat, while darker colors tend to absorb it. You should also keep south and west facing windows covered during the day. Installing shutters is an effective way to keep the heat out as well.
These tips won’t be nearly as effective as true energy efficient windows, but they will help to provide some immediate relief.
Modify Your House’s Exterior
The color of your house has big impact on the amount of heat your home absorbs. A dark colored roof, for instance, can reach temperatures of 150-degrees and up on a hot day, and that heat is absorbed into the house.
Beyond just the benefits to you, it has been estimated that if the majority of houses and commercial buildings in 100 of the biggest cities in the U.S. were covered in light, heat-reflective surfaces, the savings could be over $1 billion and it would help combat climate change. Some states like California already require commercial buildings to have white roofs for exactly this reason.
Dark paint on the side of a house can also heat up an interior, absorbing as much as 90-percent of the sun’s radiant energy. That can potentially be an issue in the summer, but it has positive effects in the winter. Meanwhile, white houses tend to reflect much of the heat. A neutral color like gray may be the best option, but the majority of people probably aren’t going to paint their entire house just to potentially lower the temperature a degree or two (unless you live in an area known for year-round heat).
A simpler modification to your house would be to add awnings over the windows. The Department of Energy estimates that awnings can reduce solar heat gain by as much as 65-percent on windows with a southern exposure, and 77-percent on those with a western exposure. Another option is to plant trees in your yard. This is obviously a long-term strategy, but when the trees are tall enough they can protect you from most of the sun’s rays.
Depending on the materials used on your home, you can look into adding vines to your house, like ivy, Russian vine, and Virginia creeper. They tend to grow quickly and help to insulate your home, and vines offer some of the best natural insulation available. But before you consider this option, speak to a specialist and make sure that your home is made with materials that the vines won’t have a negative effect on.
Attic fans are also often overlooked but can make a huge difference. Even when the sun sets and temperatures drop both outside an in, a sealed attic can retain that heat and make the rest of the house warmer than the temperature outside.
Contact Fleschner Construction For Ways to Cool Your House
Increasingly warm summers are not going away anytime soon. Even if you manage to make it through this one relatively comfortably, you’ll face the same issues next year and the year after and on. Contact us to see what your options are, big and small. We can help keep you cool!