Tips to keep the house cool this summer
As the
summer heat swells up, we can only blame the scorching heat on the global
warming effect, deforestation, pollution and the like. The heat will be
raising the bars up, up, and away in the coming weeks. It is time to get a
handle on making your home feel cooler. Here are some interesting tips to keep your
home cool this summer.
Paint it a cool color. No, it has nothing to do with the "hot" design colors for the season. One can paint their room with a formulated reflective paint or just colour it white in order to keep the roof and the ceilings cool during summer. According to a survey the color green makes you feel up to ten degrees cooler than in a room of any other color. I’ll also recommend going with more of a blue based green, since blue has soothing affects as well. Also use white everywhere. White helps refract light, which means that the heat bounces off and goes back into the atmosphere. White blinds and white draperies will all help with this. White because it makes things crisp and fresh looking. Soft pastels with bright hues will help create colourful summer equilibrium. Artwork and accent cushions are ways to create vibrancy in a room.
Dress Up the windows: Its summer time & ditch those transparent curtains that allow the sunlight to peek in to your house. Install solid shades or curtains over the windows in the room that are capable of blocking out all the sunlight. One can also opt for honeycomb shades, plantation shutters or drapes in a cool blue or green with a triple-lining. Honeycomb shades and plantation shutters help to prevent heat from entering into the homes through the windows. Draperies can be used in combination with some shades. Alternatively, a window film can also be used on the glass panel to block heat. They are also an easy solution to have a cooler home. Use light coloured blinds or window shades as they tend to be more effective, since they reflect the heat back outside. Keep the windows covered whenever there is direct sunlight entering the room.
Close everything. Closing the drapes and blinds during the afternoon hours would be a wise option. Whether the air conditioner is on or off, keep windows and doors shut if the temperature outside is more than normal temperature. Whenever the outside air is hotter than the inside air, opening a window invites heat to creep in. During the hours from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., the Earth is exposed to the most direct sunlight, causing the atmosphere to heat up and radiate heat. Closing drapes and blinds during these hours will help to deflect some of the sunlight from the room you wish to cool.
Relaxing fabrics for home: Fabrics like cotton and linen are most summer friendly and popular. Sheer curtains and blinds add a breezy and summer feel to a home. For soft furnishings, use of linen cottons and fabrics that breathe in neutral tones or even diluted coloured tones is highly recommended and one can opt for shades like white, off whites, mint green, light brown, light blue, coral etc. With the right combination of colors and fabrics in curtains, blinds etc, you can make your house look cooler and also increase its fashion statement.
Plant shade trees: Exercise your green thumb by planting shade trees around the house. Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units, but not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity. Casting shadows on the south western exposure of the home using large deciduous trees, like oaks, sycamores and elms. These trees are ideal for the summer as they have large-shaped leaves to block out the heat. Another effective idea is to grow some climbing vines over the hottest part of your house. Vines also add beauty to the home when grown on wires kept at a little distance from the wall. This will allow them to take a beautiful shape on the wall.
Fix bamboo chicks – Kitchen is the hottest region of your home during summers while cooking or baking, therefore it becomes important to keep it cool. You can simply prevent the sun's heat from getting inside the kitchen by just hanging bamboo blinds on the outside of the window to keep the kitchen temperature cool. The best part is that bamboo blinds or chicks last for really long and block the heat to large extent. No wonder these chicks, the oldest means to keep the house cool still remain a favoured choice of many. Chicks are now available in various colours and designs to suit your needs and the décor of your house.
Usage of efficient lights: Nobody loves to have those sharp illuminating incandescent bulbs in summers. Therefore, swap the bulbs with compact fluorescents all over your home as CFLs can emit up to 75 percent less heat. It will help you save an ample amount of electricity and money for buying bulbs. The usage of bulbs results in the production of excessive heat in the room as they use four times more electricity than other lights.
Natural ventilation: Make most out of your window by letting your room breathe in the fresh air at night. Open the windows during the late hours of the day. Ventilate your home on cooler days or at night to reduce any hot air that has snuck indoors. Open windows in all rooms of the house and place window fans facing out on the downwind side of your home. Make sure all interior doors are open to keep the air moving. Various apartments in India have balconies and elaborate terraces and corridors, keeping your doors and windows open at night will result in cooling your home in a natural way. Also ventilating your rooms at night is a healthy habit.
Use Appliances Wisely: Give your appliances the afternoon off. Use dryers and dishwashers that generate heat into the room at a later time in the evening. Air dry your dishes instead of using the dishwasher's heater. Also it’s advisable to update your insulation from time to time to avoid unnecessary heating. Many newer homes are required to follow certain thickness codes for insulation, but older designs may need an update. Replacing insulation in older homes will definitely reduce the heat indoors.
Install ceiling fans in the room and make sure they are on when your air conditioner is running. A ceiling fan can be a great investment for your home. This one appliance can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler, and even the most power-hungry fan in less cost for a month to use if you keep it for 12 hours a day. Also set up a fan in the room itself, like a standing fan, to continue the circulation at the bottom level of the room.
Paint it a cool color. No, it has nothing to do with the "hot" design colors for the season. One can paint their room with a formulated reflective paint or just colour it white in order to keep the roof and the ceilings cool during summer. According to a survey the color green makes you feel up to ten degrees cooler than in a room of any other color. I’ll also recommend going with more of a blue based green, since blue has soothing affects as well. Also use white everywhere. White helps refract light, which means that the heat bounces off and goes back into the atmosphere. White blinds and white draperies will all help with this. White because it makes things crisp and fresh looking. Soft pastels with bright hues will help create colourful summer equilibrium. Artwork and accent cushions are ways to create vibrancy in a room.
Dress Up the windows: Its summer time & ditch those transparent curtains that allow the sunlight to peek in to your house. Install solid shades or curtains over the windows in the room that are capable of blocking out all the sunlight. One can also opt for honeycomb shades, plantation shutters or drapes in a cool blue or green with a triple-lining. Honeycomb shades and plantation shutters help to prevent heat from entering into the homes through the windows. Draperies can be used in combination with some shades. Alternatively, a window film can also be used on the glass panel to block heat. They are also an easy solution to have a cooler home. Use light coloured blinds or window shades as they tend to be more effective, since they reflect the heat back outside. Keep the windows covered whenever there is direct sunlight entering the room.
Close everything. Closing the drapes and blinds during the afternoon hours would be a wise option. Whether the air conditioner is on or off, keep windows and doors shut if the temperature outside is more than normal temperature. Whenever the outside air is hotter than the inside air, opening a window invites heat to creep in. During the hours from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., the Earth is exposed to the most direct sunlight, causing the atmosphere to heat up and radiate heat. Closing drapes and blinds during these hours will help to deflect some of the sunlight from the room you wish to cool.
Relaxing fabrics for home: Fabrics like cotton and linen are most summer friendly and popular. Sheer curtains and blinds add a breezy and summer feel to a home. For soft furnishings, use of linen cottons and fabrics that breathe in neutral tones or even diluted coloured tones is highly recommended and one can opt for shades like white, off whites, mint green, light brown, light blue, coral etc. With the right combination of colors and fabrics in curtains, blinds etc, you can make your house look cooler and also increase its fashion statement.
Plant shade trees: Exercise your green thumb by planting shade trees around the house. Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units, but not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity. Casting shadows on the south western exposure of the home using large deciduous trees, like oaks, sycamores and elms. These trees are ideal for the summer as they have large-shaped leaves to block out the heat. Another effective idea is to grow some climbing vines over the hottest part of your house. Vines also add beauty to the home when grown on wires kept at a little distance from the wall. This will allow them to take a beautiful shape on the wall.
Fix bamboo chicks – Kitchen is the hottest region of your home during summers while cooking or baking, therefore it becomes important to keep it cool. You can simply prevent the sun's heat from getting inside the kitchen by just hanging bamboo blinds on the outside of the window to keep the kitchen temperature cool. The best part is that bamboo blinds or chicks last for really long and block the heat to large extent. No wonder these chicks, the oldest means to keep the house cool still remain a favoured choice of many. Chicks are now available in various colours and designs to suit your needs and the décor of your house.
Usage of efficient lights: Nobody loves to have those sharp illuminating incandescent bulbs in summers. Therefore, swap the bulbs with compact fluorescents all over your home as CFLs can emit up to 75 percent less heat. It will help you save an ample amount of electricity and money for buying bulbs. The usage of bulbs results in the production of excessive heat in the room as they use four times more electricity than other lights.
Natural ventilation: Make most out of your window by letting your room breathe in the fresh air at night. Open the windows during the late hours of the day. Ventilate your home on cooler days or at night to reduce any hot air that has snuck indoors. Open windows in all rooms of the house and place window fans facing out on the downwind side of your home. Make sure all interior doors are open to keep the air moving. Various apartments in India have balconies and elaborate terraces and corridors, keeping your doors and windows open at night will result in cooling your home in a natural way. Also ventilating your rooms at night is a healthy habit.
Use Appliances Wisely: Give your appliances the afternoon off. Use dryers and dishwashers that generate heat into the room at a later time in the evening. Air dry your dishes instead of using the dishwasher's heater. Also it’s advisable to update your insulation from time to time to avoid unnecessary heating. Many newer homes are required to follow certain thickness codes for insulation, but older designs may need an update. Replacing insulation in older homes will definitely reduce the heat indoors.
Install ceiling fans in the room and make sure they are on when your air conditioner is running. A ceiling fan can be a great investment for your home. This one appliance can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler, and even the most power-hungry fan in less cost for a month to use if you keep it for 12 hours a day. Also set up a fan in the room itself, like a standing fan, to continue the circulation at the bottom level of the room.
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