When the hot weather comes in, your air conditioner can be a nice break from the warm temperatures. However, what often happens is your electric bill increases significantly with long term use of the air conditioner throughout the summer. There are methods you can use to cool your home without cranking your AC, and we have a few of those tips for you. 

1) Keep your blinds and curtains closed

As tempting as it may be to let the sunshine in, keeping your blinds or curtains open, let’s in the heat. Purchasing blackout curtains can help reduce the amount of heat you allow into your home. Utilizing things like this can be especially important to do during the hottest point of the day. Utilize the air of the morning to let in as much cold air as you can and shut the blinds and curtains in the heat of the day.

2) Utilize your fans

It’s pretty obvious you are running fans throughout the day in the summer, but make sure your fans are working towards cooling you down. Put box fans in the windows in the coldest parts of your home to draw in cool air, especially during the coolest part of the day. Do this same approach at night, after the sun goes down. If you have a ceiling fan, make sure it turns counter-clockwise, so the air is pushed down, making your home cooler. Consider doing an easy hack to turn your fan into a cooling system by placing a bowl of ice in front of the fan. That way when the fan blows in front of the ice, it creates a nice cool breeze.

3) Unplug and reduce usage

Running appliances and other electronics can increase the amount of heat in your home. Things like the microwave, television, and other items left plugged in can generate heat. So, unplug and avoid using items that produce heat. In addition, avoid doing much cooking and using the oven or stove during a hot day. Plan for a meal you don’t have to cook or if you do, make sure it’s microwave only. 

These techniques will help you reduce your usage of your air conditioner. Overall, you will be able to handle the hot days a lot better. Although you may have to use your air conditioner a little bit in the summer, especially during long-lasting heatwaves, these techniques will reduce your usage. In the midst of hot days, having proper insulation can have a huge benefit to keeping your home cool, so contact us for your insulation needs.