The better majority of homseowners these days do their utmost to keep their homes’ temperatures and energy bills as low as possible. For much of the summer days that have just begun, abnormally hot weather has become the new normal. But coping and cooling off through the scorching heat comes at a cost, and even if domestic energy prices are to dip by 7% starting with the dog days in the UK, it’s safe to say that maintaining a pleasant home environment will still break many people’s budgets. Not to mention that the exact percentage is predicted to be added to Americans’ domestic energy bills starting with the same period, as reports from CNN disclose, forcing many to make superhuman efforts to make ends meet due to the uninhabitable hot home temperatures.
While summer utility expenses remain sky-high, more and more homeowners find solace in the numerous tricks and additions they can do to trick the heatwaves and HVAC abuse. Whether you have installed functional air conditioning, this lowdown on the top low-tech-and-budget ways to cool your home while pinching pennies will make the aforementioned HVAC system redundant.
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Hack your fan
Not even the priciest AC can reproduce the revivifying sea breeze we’re all craving. Yet, that doesn’t mean it can’t blast like it’s the next generation, all without high-tech or setting it to the coldest temperature.
First, you’ll need a medium- to large-size glass or metal bowl filled with ice cubes; these materials will slow the melting process. Feel free to add other frozen stuff if you deem it helpful or if your ice tray’s empty. Then, get a boxy support or table that will support the ice bowl at an adequate level so that the material stands at the fan blades’ height level. A tray laid under the bowl will protect the platform from damage from leaks or condensation.
Now, turn up your fan and return to your business, as the melting ice and wind will fill the surroundings with almost-polar air.
The same trick but for your portable AC
If you don’t have a fan or want to keep your window AC off, then you can use the above trick for your portable air conditioning unit. This gear is slightly more efficient than a fan but less effective (and energy-consuming) than a window AC. Moreover, it pumps warm air out the window while blowing icy air into the dwelling. Hence the louder noise you’ll hear from the relocating air conditioning than the fan, or the bulkier size and weight. Assuming you’re comfortable with these aspects, you can place an ice-filled bowl in front of it and enjoy the lovely room environment.
Rely on your kitchen furniture
Would you have guessed that the quality, construction, and positioning of your kitchen furniture can actually impact how you spend your time in the kitchen or how much you sweat for those household tasks? Suppose you struggle to cook and clean without splashing around to keep your materials from swelling, or you choose to have your oven work for longer instead of cooking at full speed to prevent burns or condensation damage. In that case, you likely have a feel for how much of a load better furniture would take off for you.
However, assuming you’ve put some thought into choosing the right kitchen provider, you likely can’t imagine how many more new kitchen sets could disburden you. More and more households opt for shaker kitchens or replacement doors that blend functionality, efficiency, and quality to streamline their household activities while permitting them to use the room carefreely. It’s one thing to cook with the stress of your kitchen’s upkeep in mind and a completely different thing to cook with the peace of mind of knowing your adored instalments remain intact even after you cook against the timer.
If you plan a kitchen makeover, choose your furniture sets attentively.
Consider weatherization
Weatherization projects are long-term investments designed to assist in slashing your power consumption expenses while cooling the environment through energy efficiency. Many fail to realize that the additions that keep them warm during the winter are also terrible at confronting the heat waves some months later. For instance, cape-style buildings with unstandardized ceiling height tend to overheat during the hot months.
Consider weatherizing your dwelling with the help of an expert who will work on the areas that either heat your home during riot times or cool it down during winters.
Enjoy the daylight strategically
While the light of nature is a must in homes and imperative during low-mood times, easing anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, it undeniably doesn’t have the same uplifting effect when all you want is to move to Antarctica. Natural light can transform homes into furnaces when not managed properly. You obviously can’t move your rooms and walls around, but you can adjust how the sunlight fills your room and impacts its temperature.
Employ light shelves to concentrate daylight on specific areas, brightening them up while preventing the heat from intensifying. To cope with the powerful afternoon sunlight, install blinds on the windows facing the south and light-filtering curtains. And why not, consider putting exterior sun blinds or awnings on the window for extra heat protection. Some effortless, low-budget tricks can get you a long way.
Detect where hot air comes from
Were you to accumulate every tiny crack in your home that allows warm air to come in, you’d likely end up with a bowl-sized hole. Understandably, if you had a large hole in your window, you’d do all it takes to prevent heat from infiltrating. Let’s now recognize that your home is probably not faultless, and spot these minor but weighty flaws that ruin your environment without you even knowing.
You can fight off all these invisible enemies, all the more if you rely on a specialist’s expertise to perform diagnostic testing.
Hopefully, you’ll try a few tricks from those enumerated above and share your experience with us. Let us know if you have any extra tips that have worked wonders for you!
