How to Keep It Cool This Summer

Break out your sweet tea and swim trunks, this summer is looking to be hot! 

Both the Weather Channel and NOAA have released reports recently citing upcoming weather predictions. The Weather Channel is predicting a scorching summer for all of the continental U.S. thanks to La Nina starting this past winter.  Paired with that, NOAA isn’t seeing much in the way of rain for us, at least through the end of May. And while May might not even be summer, we know Texas. By May we will all be melting. 

So, should we be worried? Well, maybe. On one hand,Texas is already considered to be in a  drought (yes, even with all of that snow in February). High temps and little to no rain for 2 months definitely is not going to do us any favors. On the other hand, we all know that weather prediction is an imprecise science. The Farmer’s Almanac for this year said we were supposed to get a “soggy” spring. “According to our long-range outlook, spring 2021 will be mild and wet for most parts of the country with plenty of thunderstorms, especially over the central and eastern states during late April.” So, who knows. 

What we do know is that summer is summer, and many of us would prefer to keep cooler if possible, and still keep our electric bills down.  To that end, we’ll take a look at changes you can make around your home to keep things cooler and any products you can use to help with that. 

Vent Your Attic 

Let’s start at the top of your house, and work our way down.  Hot air rises, and it gets trapped in your attic. The hotter your attic is, the more that heats up the main body of your home.  If you put a fan in your attic to improve ventilation, you’ll be keeping that air moving through the home, and keeping it cool. 

Insulate the Attic Walls

Bouncing right off the last point, insulate your attic. By insulating the attic walls fully you trap the cooler air in and keep more of the heat outside. 

Invest in the Right Fans

Let’s take a look at your ceilings next. Having a ceiling fan keeps the air circulating and not getting trapped in one ‘layer’ of the room.  However, having ‘a’ fan is only half of the equation. The other half is picking the right size for the room it’s in. 

A 15 x 15 or smaller room will only need a fan that is 52 inches. 

A room that’s 20 x 20 will need one that’s 60 inches. 

A room that is 30 x 30 or larger is going to need a ceiling fan of 84 inches. 

Now, while you need to pay upfront for ceiling fans, they will save you money in the long run. The best fans, according to industry experts, will only cost you between $5- $10  to run them for a month. By comparison, a  window a/c unit can easily cost you $120 a day, if you’re only running it for 6 hours. 

Let Your Bed Breathe

While silk or sateen might look lovely, they’re no good for summer. They both trap heat, regardless of how light they feel. Instead, opt for something like cotton or bamboo. Both are lightweight materials that breathe well to keep you cool all night. Certain bamboo microfibers are also great for wicking moisture away, thus keeping you even cooler. 

Mix Up Your Nighttime Routine 

Instead of the usual, lay in bed, read on your phone, go to sleep routine, try something new for the summer. 

An hour before bed, try washing down with a wet cloth or taking a cold shower. Keep the electronics off and curl up with an ice pack, a book, and a cup of ice water. The less you move around right before bed will let you cool off and stay cooler as the night goes on. 

Block the Windows

Draw the blinds and curtains. If you have both, great! If not, that’s ok too. 

Blinds and white-backed blackout curtains will reflect heat throughout the day, keeping you cooler. We mentioned updating your curtains back in February, as a way to keep the heat in during the winter, and that change is still just as useful now! 

Switch Over To No Heat Lightbulbs 

Have you ever touched a lightbulb after you’ve had it on all day and yelped because you burnt yourself? Well, those bulbs are also a source of excess heat for your home. Swapping them out for LED bulbs or compact fluorescent lightbulbs will cut back heat. 

Products to Bring Into Your Home

Portable AC Unit -Whynter ARC- 14S 

If you want a  portable a/c unit that can follow you from room to room, this is the best. You do need to hook it up to a window for exhaust and humidity, but it’s very easy to set up and break down. The best part is that it can pump out frigid air with 140000 BTUs. 

Cooling Mattress Pad 

What about at the end of the day though, a portable a/c unit doesn’t help much if your bed itself is too warm. There are mattress pads that are water-based that you can use to help. They can cool the water within them as low as 55* F and, during the winter, or for your spouse who wants to stay warm, as high as 100*F.  With a range like that it proves its worth in both summer and winter. 

Even if the summer months ahead are scorching, with this list, you’ve got a leg up on your neighbors when it comes to beating the heat. Do you have any tips and tricks for keeping cool? Let us know over on our Facebook page! 

Don’t forget that summer heat can cause issues in faulty wiring. If you suspect something is going on with your appliances, don’t hesitate to have one of our techs come out to do a  maintenance check for you. We want to keep your house running cool, whether you’re in Allen or Frisco, Dallas or The Colony, Appliance Rescue Service is here for you. You can reach us via our website or by calling us at ((214) 599-0055).