The Real Estate Browser Volume 10, Issue 7 | Page 10

10 — Say you saw it in The Real Estate Browser of Lynchburg — Volume 10 Number 7
www.LynchburgRealEstateBrowser.com
Keep Your Cool!
By Drew Howard , President, HomePro, Inc.
well worth sharing.
I came across this article by Samantha
Toscano and Suzy Strutner and thought it was
In warmer months, it’s tempting to crank the AC or plant yourself
in front of the nearest fan. But these aren’t the only tricks to keeping
cool. It turns out there are plenty of ways to buffer your home from
the heat without racking up your electric bill. And they’ll make you
feel like a DIY champ, too.
Keep your cool, and…
1. Keep your blinds closed. As simple as this tip may seem,
Family Handyman notes that up to 30 percent of unwanted heat
comes from your windows, and utilizing shades, curtains and the like
can save you up to 7 percent on bills and lower indoor temperatures
by up to 20 degrees. In other words, closing the blinds essentially
prevents your home from becoming a miniature greenhouse, which is
especially the case with south- and west-facing windows.
2. Better yet, invest in blackout curtains. Blackout curtains block
sunlight, naturally insulating the rooms in which they’re installed.
Consumer Reports recommends neutral-colored curtains with white
plastic backings to reduce heat gain by up to 33 percent.
3. Be smart about your doors. Closing off unused rooms will
prevent cool air from permeating these areas during the hottest part
of the day. You’ll want to capitalize on the cooler night hours, too, let-
ting air flow naturally through your home.
4. Hack a fan instead of turning on the A.C. Not even an air
conditioner can give off a faux sea breeze, but this simple trick can.
Fill a mixing bowl with ice (or something equally cold, like an ice
pack), and position it at an angle in front of a large fan so the air
whips off the ice in an extra-chilled, extra-misty state. Trust us: It’s
magic.
5. Swap your sheets. Not only does seasonally switching your bed-
ding freshen up a room, but it’s also a great way to keep cool. While
textiles like flannel sheets and fleece blankets are fantastic for insula-
tion, cotton is a smarter move this time of year as it breathes easier
and stays cooler. As an added bonus, buy yourself a buckwheat pillow
or two. Because buckwheat hulls have a naturally occurring air space
between them, they won’t hold on to your body heat like conventional
pillows, even when packed together in a pillow case.
6. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter-clockwise. You may not
realize that your ceiling fan needs to be adjusted seasonally. Set to run
counter-clockwise in the summer at a higher speed, the fan’s airflow
will create a wind-chill breeze effect that will make you and your
guests feel cooler.
7. Focus on the temperature in your body, not the house. If your
ancestors survived without air conditioning, so can you. From sipping
tasty iced drinks to applying a cold cloth to strong-pulsed areas like
your neck and wrists, cooling yourself from the inside out is not a bad
idea. Other tricks include being smart about your clothing choices
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and telling your partner you won’t be cuddling until the leaves start
changing color. Also try keeping a bowl of cool water by your bed and
dipping your feet if you feel warm in the middle of the night.
8. Turn on your bathroom fans. Or the exhaust fan in your
kitchen, for that matter. Both pull the hot air that rises after you cook
or take a steamy shower out of your house or apartment.
9. Heat-proof your bed. Go straight to the source, and put a cool
Chillow under your head while you sleep. For feet, fill a water bottle,
and put it in the freezer before placing it at the foot of your bed. And
it sounds strange, but slightly dampening your sheets or popping
them in the freezer before bedtime will majorly help you chill out.
10. Sleep low. Heat rises, so hit the downstairs couch or base-
ment, or put your mattress on the floor if the air feels cooler down
there.
11. Let the night air in. During summer months, temperatures
may drop during the night. If this is the case where you live, make the
most of these refreshing hours by cracking the windows before you
go to bed. You can even create a wind tunnel by strategically setting
up your fans to force the perfect cross breeze. Just be sure to close the
windows and blinds before things get too hot in the morning.
12. Hack your windows. To create a cooling pressure current,
open the top section of windows on the downwind side of your
house, and open the bottom section of windows on the upwind side.
Also consider facing a box fan out one window to push hot air out,
and try wetting a sheet then hanging it in front of a second open win-
dow like a curtain for a chill-infused breeze.
13. Ditch the incandescent lights. If you ever needed motivation
to make the switch to CFLs, or compact fluorescent lamps, this is it.
Incandescent bulbs waste about 90 percent of their energy in the heat
they emit, so tossing them to the curb will make a small difference in
cooling your home while lowering your electric bill.
14. Start grilling. It’s obvious, but we’re going to say it anyway:
Using your oven or stove in the summer will make your house hot-
ter. If it already feels like 100 degrees in your home, the last thing you
want to do is turn on a 400-degree oven. Besides, who doesn’t want to
get more mileage out of their outdoor furniture and seasonal acces-
sories?
15. Make a few long-term improvements. If you’re really, really
committed to the whole no-AC thing, you can make a couple changes
to your home that will keep it cooler for seasons to come. Insulated
window films, for example, are a smart purchase as they work simi-
larly to blinds. And additions like awnings and planting trees or vines
near light-facing windows will shield your home from the sun’s rays,
reduce the amount of heat your home absorbs and make your invest-
ment even more worthwhile.
If you have any home inspection questions or needs please give
me a call. Drew Howard 434-660-3449
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