Green Tips To Stay Cool This Summer
The heat of summer is here and trying to stay cool can be a challenge, especially if you want to be eco friendly. That is why we put together a list of some tips to help you and your family stay cool this summer while also keeping the environment in mind. Staying cool and being green can be easy!
Tips To Stay Cool
Try out these tips to stay cool this summer while still being eco friendly!
- Close Blinds & Curtains: Letting the natural sunlight into your home can be wonderful. However, in the summer months it also lets heat from the sun into your home. Keeping your curtains and blinds closed during the heat of the day can help to keep your home cool and the sun's rays out of your home.
- Know When To Open Windows: Opening your windows during the heat of the day will let all the warm air in and heat up your home. It is best to open up your windows during the cooler parts of the day, particularly when the sun has started to go down at night or hasn't fully risen yet in the morning.
- Open Doors: Keeping the interior doors of your home open helps to circulate cooler air throughout your home. Closing a room off will trap the heat inside of it and when you go to open the door to that room that heat will circulate throughout your home. Keeping the interior doors open can help keep your home cool.
- Ditch Incandescent Light Bulbs: Incandescent light bulbs give off heat. Switching to LED of CFL bulbs will not only decrease the energy needed to power your lights but also decease the heat that they give off. Additionally, be sure to only have lights on when you need them.
- Caulk & Weatherstrip: Another trick to keep the cool air in your home is to caulk and weatherstrip around doors and windows. Doing this keeps your home more insulated allowing your home to stay warmer in the winter months and cooler in the summer months.
- Ice In Front Of A Fan: A fun trick to cool down your home is to place a bowl of ice or an ice pack in front of a fan. Doing this cools the air that fan is circulating. For the best results make sure to tilt the bowl so that the fan is hitting it as it pushes air throughout the room.
- Don't Cook During The Day/Use The Grill: Cooking during the day with your stove or oven creates heat in your home. Avoid cooking during the warmest parts of the day. Also, if you are able to utilize cooking on the grill more frequently in the summer. Cooking on the grill keeps the heat from cooking out of your home.
- Plant For Shade: When doing the landscaping around your home consider planting trees and shrubs for shade. Your plants will then do the work of blocking the sun from entering your home and help to keep it cool. It is also beneficial if the plants can be cut back in the winter or will loose their leaves to allow in the warmth of the sun during that time of year.
- Light Paint Colors: If you are looking to give your home a makeover go for lighter colors. Lighter colors reflect heat where darker colors absorb it. If you want to make the biggest difference paint your exterior walls in lighter colors and you can have darker colors on your interior walls if you desire.
- Use Cotton Sheets: 100% cotton sheets will help to keep you cooler than those with a polyester blend. Cotton sheets are more breathable and therefore keep you cooler throughout the night. Due to this it allows you to not have to crank the AC as high or have fans going throughout the night to keep you cool.
Do you have other tips for staying cool and green this summer? We would love to know what they are! Also, if you are looking to make a big change in reducing your carbon footprint this summer you should consider going solar. It helps you stay green all year long! To learn more about going solar you can reach out to us here!
*These tips were originally published in an HGTV article that you can find here.
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