The sun is high and the weather is fine, but this doesn’t mean that everything’s bright and cheery. If you haven’t fixed your home up right, the heat can soon start to be much too much to deal with. Here, we’re going to look at ways you can prepare your home for the heat so you can live in relative comfort.
Take care of that HVAC system
When you’re considering summer essentials, then your thoughts should go, first and foremost, to your air conditioning and your ventilation. The HVAC systems in the home should be checked once a year to make sure they haven’t lost any efficiency over the past three seasons and that any repairs that are needed are made in advance of the summer heat. Be sure to find out how often you need to replace your filters as well. If they get clogged up with dust, it can decrease the power of your air conditioning, which also increases the costs of running them.
Insulation is for summer too
When you think of insulating the home appropriately, you might think mainly of the winter, but it’s just as important for keeping the heat out of the home as it is for keeping the heat in. Aside from installing insulation in the attic and the walls, make sure you take the time to close any air gaps in the windows and roof. Have a roofing contractor come out to take a look. Not only will fixing any cracks or gaps in your tiles improve insulation, but they can also prevent serious damage to the roof in the event of a storm, too.
Make a barrier at the windows
You might be more than happy to make good use of all the extra natural light we will be getting in the upcoming months. However, you also need the option to be able to close out that glare if the sun is getting too much. Blackout blinds and reflective film for your windows can help you much better control how much light gets into the home, precisely. If your window treatments are too light, there will be little you can do to stop the sun.
Bring some greenery indoors
In general, you want to avoid cluttering the home up too much in the summer. However, by creating a herb garden in front of the window, you can actually help cool the home a little. Houseplants are great at absorbing the sunlight, keeping some of the sun’s energy out of the home. Also, by watering the plants regularly, you can also increase the general humidity of the room, meaning that you’re not dealing with a dry heat that can feel very energy-sapping indeed.
If you fail to take the heat seriously, not only can it make your home a lot more uncomfortable, but it might even become a genuine health risk. Heatstroke, dehydration, and more issues caused by heat in the summer can cause some real concern if you’re not careful.
