How to Quickly Cool Your Home During a Heatwave

Are you ready for the summer heat waves? It’s possible we’ll be looking at record temperatures throughout the summer – possibly more than your air conditioner can handle.

Whether you’re working from home, looking to get a good night’s sleep, or caring for a family member, it’s important to be able to cool your home to keep it comfortable. Here are some tips to cool your home quickly when the temperatures spike.

 

Don’t Set the Air Conditioner on the Lowest Temperature

If your home is hot, you may as well put the thermostat on 65 degrees to get it cooled down, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t an effective way to cool your home, and it could even make it more difficult to keep the temperatures stable and comfortable. Air conditioners can only reduce the temperature about 25 degrees from the outside temperature, so it’s better to set it closer to that number to avoid excess stress.

Shut Down Unoccupied Spaces

There’s no reason to waste energy and conditioned air on spaces where no one is spending their time. Close the doors and the vents to unused bathrooms, bedrooms, or unused areas of your home. This will not only conserve energy, but it can reduce the temperature in the rest of the house.

Use Fans to Promote Airflow

Fans won’t do much to actually cool the air, but they can circulate conditioned air to reduce the temperature in your home. They also help you stay cooler by evaporating sweat off your body and lowering your body temperature.

If the fans aren’t enough on their own, put some ice water in large bowls in front of the fans to blow cool air around. If you have a big space to cool, putting a few large bowls with fans can go a long way toward cooling the room.

Shut the Shades

If you get a lot of sun in certain areas of your home, it’s best to close the blinds or shades to keep excess heat from coming in. After all, this is one of the ways people used to control the heat in their homes before air conditioners were invented.

 

Cook Outside or Get Takeout

You should limit the appliances you use during a heat wave, as every one of them releases heat. The oven is the biggest one, however, and can quickly turn your home into a sauna. Cook on an outdoor grill or get takeout to avoid turning your oven on when it’s hot.

Keep Yourself Cool with a Frozen Hot Water Bottle

If you have a hot water bottle to stay cozy in the winter, you can use it in the summer to cool down. Freeze a full water bottle and use it to keep yourself cool while sleeping or working.

 

Let a Breeze into Your Bedroom

If your bedroom gets hot and stuffy, open a window a few hours before bed to cool it off. Having the window cracked lets a breeze in for ventilation, especially if you add fans to move the air around.

Take a Lukewarm Shower

Cold showers are uncomfortable, but a hot shower can be just as bad if it’s hot in your house. In addition, a hot shower adds steam and moisture that raises the humidity. Take a shower before bed with cool or lukewarm water that won’t produce steam, reducing your body temperature to help you sleep.

Freeze Your Sheets

If you can’t sleep well when the room is hot, put your pillowcases and sheets in the freezer. They’ll get nice and cold just before bed, so you can relax and cool down to fall asleep quickly and enjoy a restful night.

 

Rely on a Few Lights

Having all the lights on adds heat to your home because they produce heat. If you can, don’t turn any lights on during the day to keep it cool. When the sun goes down, only turn on a few lights to see.

Hold Off on Washing Dishes and Clothes

You may want to get laundry and dishes done, but it’s best not to use appliances that produce heat and moisture, such as your dishwasher and washing machine. If you have to do these chores, wait until it cools down at night.

Check on Your Air Conditioner’s Health

Regular air conditioner maintenance goes a long way toward keeping your system running its best for the cooling season. Make sure to schedule an appointment early enough to get any repairs done before it gets hot out.

If your air conditioner is getting a little older, it may be better to upgrade instead of paying for tune ups, repairs, and higher energy bills. Weigh your options to see which is the right choice and make any major changes in the off season when the weather is mild.

Is it time for an air conditioner upgrade? Contact the pros at Bell Brothers Sacramento to see what we can do to help!