With summer almost here, there’s plenty of reasons to get excited, but sometimes, summer weather can bring too much of a good thing. Many of us in warmer climates are familiar with the feeling of that hot and humid weather getting into your house, and slowly sapping any motivation and energy you may have to actually work on some of the projects or tasks you had planned.
Many people circumvent this issue by using air conditioning, 70% of homes in the U.S. as a matter of fact. However, these come with a cost. For example, when you use pieces of technology, you’re expending a lot of energy and potentially driving up your utility bills, especially in surprise heatwaves. While these methods may not match an attic fan in Los Angeles, they can help cool a house off and get rid of that lethargic feeling. Here are some of your key choices.
Building Changes
Something obvious like whole house fans in Los Angeles are great ways to help cool off your home, but in some cases, such as logistical or financial reasons, you want to try and find an alternative option when it comes to putting together options. Luckily, there are plenty of options on the table.
For example, take a look at your windows and blinds, specifically, how and when you leave them open. If you live in an area where it goes substantially cooler at night, you’d be surprised the benefits you reap by opening the windows when the sun goes down. This gives you the chance to replace warm air with a cool, refreshing replacement. Options such as whole house fans work on a similar principle, just on a most efficient level. If you want to combine these in the most effective ways possible, start by cracking a window open on the main floor of your home, then opening a window up on the second floor on the other side of your home. Turn on a fan here to suck the air out, and you’ll create an effective cycle of air going in and out.
How do your blinds factor into this? The opposite way. Make sure that you keep your blinds closed during the day as much as possible. The reason for this is that a lot of unwanted heat in your home enters through your windows via the greenhouse effect. This means that sunlight and heat easily enter, but aren’t able to escape. To avoid this problem, you want to keep your blinds closed. If you don’t want to miss out on all the natural light, you can try to focus on just closing the blinds on westward and southward-facing windows. For further efficiency, swap out for light-colored blinds that will reflect the sunlight during the day, and click here to find out more open them at night.
Another major contributor to heat inside the home is appliances. Most people are quick to think of the oven in this scenario, but the truth is that there are several appliances worth looking at here. For example, laundry machines surprisingly generate a lot of heat. The washer uses hot water a lot of the time, and your dryer uses heated air. This tends to escape and radiate from the machine. To try and cut down on the added heat, you can try to do your laundry loads at night when things are cooler. Keep your dryer vent clean so its cycle cleaner runs quicker also.
Surprisingly, you can even make some changes with the exterior to help as well. Shutters or shades on the exterior of your windows can help provide a layer of sun protection, but awnings are the most effective option. In the long term, you can plant more trees and greenery, or save toward a roof replacement or repainting. In time, these may make their costs back in saved energy costs.
Lifestyle Changes
Putting in a skylight replacement in Los Angeles can do a lot to help with keeping your home cooler, but in some cases, you want some additional help. When it comes to keeping warm during the winter without turning up the heat, it’s relatively easy. Simply throw on another layer of clothes, grab a blanket, or maybe curl up with a hot beverage. However, when it comes to warm weather, you need to be a bit more clever.
As a start, what may surprise you to keep cool during the summer is being optimal with when and how you sleep. Many people in climates can relate to the feeling of being unable to sleep due to being overheated. One step is to try and sleep on the lowest floor possible, even the basement if possible. The reason for this is that heat naturally rises, so the lower you sleep, the less heat you have to deal with.
Granted, this isn’t a feasible option for everyone, but another decision you can make is changing the bed sheets that you sleep in at night. When it comes to fabrics, cotton is the premier choice for summer due to the fact that it’s breathable and naturally lightweight. For an even more specialized investment, you can buy specialized wicking sheets or fabric blends.
In addition, while you’re sleeping don’t forget to have that ceiling fan going. The air moving over your skin at night will both help evaporate sweat on your body and pull heat away. Combined, it makes you a lot more relaxed.
There are a few other steps you can take if you’re willing to be a bit bolder and enterprising. For example, some people make the traditional box style more effective by using it to become an ice fan. Simply fill a mixing bowl with ice and put it in front to get a chilled-out breeze. In addition, a cold shower in the midst of summer heat isn’t a bad idea to help bring your temperature down quickly. There are other benefits to reap as well.
Learn more about skylight replacement in los angeles.