5 Tips for Keeping Your Home Cool this Summer

There’s nothing worse than a house that feels like a furnace in the summertime. Your home should provide relief from the outside temperature, not the other way around. Here are five tips for keeping your home cool and comfortable this summer:

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1. Install your air conditioning units on the north side of your house whenever possible. “An AC unit operating in the shade uses up to 10% less electricity than one in the sun,” advises Good Housekeeping. You can also plant trees to help shade your windows and save energy!

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2. Replace your windows with Superior Windowland's OKNA Insul-Tec products. These energy-efficient windows are manufactured to keep heat outside the home in the summertime. This will not only reduce solar heat gain, but also help reduce cooling costs!

3. Turn your lights off, especially if you haven’t yet upgraded to compact fluorescents and LEDs. According to the Huffington Post, “incandescent light bulbs can produce as much heat as they do light.” Yikes!

4. Install heavy drapes on your windows. Forbes reports that “Hanging heavy drapes in front of windows will help keep the house cool by not letting the glaring sun warm up the house.” Doing so will help make your house an oasis in the hot summer months.

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5. Use a ceiling fan to get the most out of your air conditioning. The U.S. Department of Energy suggests using ceiling fans in order to create a wind chill effect. “If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort,” the department states. How cool is that?

What other tips do you have for cooling your home in warm weather? Share your thoughts on our Google+ page.

If your house isn't as cool as you think it should be, contact the experts at Superior Windowland by dialing (203) 948-7770. We’ll help determine whether or not your windows need to be upgraded during a free, at-home consultation.