7 Ways You Can Beat the Heat in Your Home

Being too hot in your home is no fun at all. Many people struggle each summer to be comfortable and enjoy the summer weather simply because their homes are so hot. When you have an aging HVAC system or you don’t have AC at all, it can be really tough to have a nice summer. These solutions can be expensive in some cases, and so many people simply suffer through the hottest parts of the year and wish that they could beat the heat somehow.

Heat-resistant vinyl siding is just one of many solutions that can allow you to beat the heat and have fun during the summer months. Being able to keep your home cool and comfortable shouldn’t be a luxury that you can only dream of. These tips will help you make your home comfortable and nice to live in, even during the peak of summer.

Ways to Beat the Heat

1.     Heat-resistant Vinyl

Heat-resistant vinyl is a great solution if you need a little push to keep your home cool and comfortable when the weather is toasty. This siding is engineered to withstand high temperatures, which helps repel heat and direct it away from your home. This vinyl is made of PVC, which has low thermal conductivity and therefore, low heat transfer properties.

Standard vinyl siding can actually warp and fade when exposed to intense sunlight, but heat-resistant versions of the same materials are made to resist UV damage and heat for years. This can help you to keep the interior spaces of your home cool as can be, even when the heat outside is working against you.

2.     Close the Curtains and Blinds

When you keep the sun out of your home, you block the heat from entering your living spaces. You should draw shades and close curtains before the peak heat of the day to make sure that you are keeping as much of the sun out of your home as possible. This is a great way to keep things cool and comfortable if you don’t have AC, and it can also save you money on energy costs if you do have an HVAC system that is keeping things cool all day long.

3.     Open Windows and Cross-Ventilate

When the weather is cool out, you should open the windows in your home and allow cross ventilation to cool down the interior spaces of your home. Remember that still air that is not cooler than the air in your home will not improve the situation, however. You don’t want to let hot air into your home, so you should be sure that you know what the temperature is inside your home before you open the windows when there isn’t a breeze.

 Cross ventilation can help with getting fresh air into your home as well, but having screens on the windows is a must to avoid pests and debris from getting into your home. Installing window screens is usually quite easy unless you have really old windows or window frames.

4.     Limit Use of Appliances

The oven, your toaster, and even the TV all make heat when they are in use. This heat can significantly impact the temperature in your home. When it is hot outside, avoid using all of these items so that you can keep things cool enough to be comfortable. You might want to wait to cook until the temperature has come down for the night, for example. You should also limit TV time during the peak hours of the hottest part of the day.

Keeping your appliance use under control can be a big help when it comes to keeping your home cool and comfortable at all times.

5.     Turn off the Lights

Lights create their own heat, especially if they are older incandescent light bulbs. You will find that keeping things darker will help with the temperature, especially when its quite hot outside. This is a simple thing to do to help keep the warmest rooms in your home cooler than they ever have been. Lights that you have to use all day long should be converted to LED bulbs to cut down on heat.

6.     Use Fans

Fans can help move air around, and they can also allow you to funnel hot air out of the house and cooler air in when you open the windows. Fans are a big part of the process of cooling down a home that doesn’t have HVAC to keep things comfortable. You should think about which locations allow for a cross breeze and can help you to bring in cool air and push out hot air.

7.     Move to Cooler Areas of the Home

If you have a basement or an area of your home that doesn’t get as hot in the middle of the day, this is where you should gravitate to spend your time during the peak heat of the day. You will also keep body heat out of the mix if you are in a cooler area of your home when things are hot. Basements and lower floors are almost always cooler than upper floors in any building, so these areas are where you should hang out during the summer.

Beating the Heat Requires Planning and the Right Strategy

Beating the heat each summer without air conditioning can be a struggle if you aren’t sure how to keep things comfortable. These tips will allow you to keep your home comfy and pleasant to be in, even when the summer is at its hottest. The heat of summer doesn’t have to make your summer plans a mess if you use these tips to help you and your family out.

Make sure that you consider getting the right siding on your home so that you can keep cool air in and hot air out with ease. Your heat-resistant siding will also last longer and stay beautiful for years, no matter how tough the UV rays are and despite the searing heat of summer.