When summer’s heat and humidity make their appearance in Grovetown, Georgia, being able to turn on the air conditioner to get some cooling relief isn’t something to take for granted. When your air conditioning is working overtime to keep you cool, you can use strategies such as installing shades and blinds to help reduce some of the operating strain on your AC unit.
Weatherize Cracks, Doors, and Windows
Adding caulking, insulation, and weather-stripping around doors and windows of your home can protect your house from the buildup of summer heat. As one of the major places for trapped heat, the attic is one space you want to pay attention to inside your home.
Install Blinds and Shades
To reduce indoor temperatures, install blinds and shades on your windows to keep out the heat during the peak hours of the day. Outdoor awnings can provide an easy and effective way to shade your windows from the sun’s heat.
When selecting awnings for your home, look for products that can withstand the sun’s radiant energy. Look for weatherproof fabric awnings, which are easy to assemble and easy to store at the end of the summer.
Open Windows to Encourage Ventilation
In the Georgia climate, where days are hot and nights can sometimes be cool, open windows in your house during the evening if temperatures fall enough. Having a well-insulated home is key. By the time the interior of your home heats up toward the evening hours, the air will be cooler outside. To create some air movement in your home and reduce humidity levels, encourage some cross-ventilation. Open windows on either side of the room. Keep doors to rooms open to allow air to circulate freely.
Plant Trees Around Your Home
This autumn, consider planting trees around your home to offer shade. Deciduous trees, which shed their leaves in the autumn, are best. When placed strategically around your home, trees can block some of the intensity of the sun during the summer months.
Trees can also help create a small microclimate around your home by reducing the temperature of the air around them. You may remember from science class the word photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into food for the plant. During photosynthesis, water vapor escapes through leaves, leaving the surrounding air cooler.
Curtail Daytime Appliance Usage
Clothes dryers, dishwashers, ovens, and washing machines all create heat in the home when they’re operating. To keep your home cooler during the day, turn off the appliances and use them only in the late evening or early morning when temperatures are cooler. Don’t forget about light bulbs; incandescent light bulbs also contribute to heat in the home.
Install Ceiling Fans in Your Home
While ceiling fans won’t necessarily cool your home, they can help rooms of your home feel somewhat cooler. When used in combination with your home’s air conditioning system, they can circulate the cool air around a living space. For best results, make sure the ceiling fans are placed about 8 feet above the floor but no more than 7 or 8 inches from the ceiling.
Change the Colors of Your Paint and Siding
When you live in Georgia, you want to make sure your house is not going to attract excess heat. To do so, consider painting your home to a light or white color. Light-colored home exteriors can reflect heat away from your house. Homes with dark-colored paint or siding, however, absorb significant percentages of radiant heat energy from the sun. Through the process of conduction, that radiant heat energy can get transferred into your home.
By helping your air conditioner handle the heat of summer in an energy-efficient way, you can prolong the operating lifespan of your HVAC system and save money on your monthly utility bills.
At Doc Savage Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., we inspect and help homeowners maintain their home’s air conditioning system for proper operating efficiency. Whether you need to schedule a repair or a regular maintenance visit, our service professionals are here to assist you. Call us today at 706-426-9262.
Image provided by Shutterstock
