It’s officially July, which means it’s also officially the hottest part of the year for most of the country. Facing these sweltering days, we’re all trying to keep cool by jumping in the water, eating way too much ice cream, and (if we’re lucky) cranking the AC until our homes are as frosty as a walk-in freezer. But, with the cost of residential electricity rising faster than inflation (about 26% since 2022!), you might want to hold off on turning down your thermostat.
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tricks for how to keep your house cool in the summer that won’t break the bank. With a little strategy, you can drop those indoor temps on a shoestring budget, and avoid spending your summer dripping sweat like an Old Spice Commercial. Keep on reading for some of our favorite summer cool-down hacks!
#1: Utilize Air Conditioning Alternatives
Believe it or not, there are a lot of alternatives to your standard HVAC system for how to keep your house cool in the summer. Home air conditioning systems only came around about 100 years ago, and didn’t really start getting popular until around 1947. So, we humans had thousands of years before that to figure out cooling ourselves in the summer, and now, with modern technology, it’s easier than ever.
High-efficiency portable fans can be purchased for under $100 and can best up all over your house. If you have a room that gets especially hot and fans don’t really do much for it, single-room evaporative coolers can cost as little as $60 and drop the temperature as much as 10 degrees. Or, if you’re really crafty, you can try your hand at building your own DIY air conditioning with items you might already have on hand!
#2: Install Reflective Window Films
Of course we all want brightly lit, sunny homes to match the summer vibes (especially our houseplants). However, more than 75% of sunlight that hits standard windows enters the home as heat. Fortunately, you can counteract that radiant heat without turning your home into a dark cave or spending a ton on expensive window replacements.
Reflective window films throw that heat right back outside before it ever gets into your home. When you’re seeking how to keep your house cool in the summer with minimal effort, the process of applying a roll of film to your windows is about as easy as putting a screen protector on your phone, and costs around $50 or less.
(Bonus: the shininess of the film makes birds less likely to crash into your windows!)
#3: Optimize Your Home’s Ventilation
Humidity also plays a huge role in how hot your home feels. Our bodies use sweating as a super-efficient means of evaporative cooling, and high humidity doesn’t allow our sweat to evaporate off of us. High humidity can push a 90 degree day up to feeling like 113 degrees and put you at risk of heat stroke. Removing that extra humidity is one of the best ways how to keep your house cool in the summer.
By using effective cross-ventilation techniques, your home feels cooler and the air inside is actually cleaner. You can easily do this by opening and closing windows on opposite sides of a north-facing room and using fans to help aid the airflow, especially if you’re lacking a breeze. If you’re really serious about reducing heat and humidity in your home, you can install an attic fan into your eave vents. This will suck out all that moisture and hot air as it rises, rather than leaving it trapped in your house.
(Bonus: humidity can cause mold and mildew issues that can be dangerous to your health. Save on health insurance premiums and home maintenance costs by getting that extra moisture out.)
#4: Summer Home Maintenance Tips
A little home maintenance goes a long way in figuring out how to keep your house cool in the summer. Probably the easiest (and cheapest!) thing you can do right now is to make sure your windows and doors are properly sealed. Insulation is one of the most effective tools in regulating our home temperatures, but we often overlook all the moving parts of our homes. Proper caulking around windows and weatherstripping on doors can help air-seal your home and improve the efficiency of your AC when you really need it.
You should also replace your air filters. I’m going to say it again for the folks in the back: replace your air filters! Not only does keeping up on your air filters protect you from allergens and irritants floating around in your home, it also helps your HVAC system function properly. So your air conditioning blows colder and costs you less each month. Do yourself a favor, go buy a HEPA filter, and change it every 6-12 months when it gets saturated.
#5: Learn to Work with the Weather
Okay, it sounds counterintuitive to say that how to keep your house cool in the summer is to, “work with the weather,” when it’s 100+ degrees out and you’re melting like the Wicked Witch of the West, but it’s really super simple and effective. Those roaster days usually have relatively cool nights, right? So open up your windows at night to let the cold air in, and close them in the morning to keep the hot air out.
If you live in the US, you’re in the northern hemisphere. So, the sun is always relatively south of your home, towards the equator. It rises in the east, and it sets in the west. When the sun is blazing hot, you want to keep that heat out of your home by blocking it. Draw the shades first thing in the morning on the south and west sides of your house. You’ll notice the difference, and you can thank me later.
#6: Reduce Heat Generation
All those appliances sitting so innocently in your home are actually producing heat as long as they’re plugged in. As they get older, appliances become less efficient and begin releasing more and more heat into your home, especially when you’re actively using them. That old oven can pump out up to 36% more heat than a newer model, making your kitchen feel like an oven, too. While it is a good idea to update to newer Energy Star appliances for all kinds of reasons (hello, fire risk), there is an easier option you can do right now.
Don’t use your appliances. Or, at least reduce your usage, especially in the kitchen. That’s how to keep your house cool in the summer with minimal effort and no money. Instead of running your dryer, give the old-fashioned clothesline a shot and pretend you’re living your cottagecore dream. Try a no-cook recipe for a quick and easy meal, or bust out the barbecue and see if you have what it takes to be a pitmaster.
#7: Keep Your Cool by Updating your Homeowners Insurance
Did you know stress can actually raise your body temperature? For some people it can even cause a 105 degree fever. That’s why mental health is so important for keeping yourself cool, and a good place to start is your insurance. Updating your homeowners insurance can save you a lot of worry going into hot summer months when things break and fires happen. If you really want to know how to keep your house cool in the summer, start by keeping yourself cool and your home protected.
If you’re looking to update your Homeowners Insurance policy, you can reach out to our team at Ashland Insurance online or give us a call!
541.482.0831 Ashland
541.857.0679 Medford