Tips and Tricks to Prepare Your Home for the Summer Heat

On certain summer days, the weather gets to be so sweltering that it feels hot in and out of the house. For many Asheville homeowners, staying indoors isn’t enough to avoid working up a sweat – not without thoroughly preparing your home for the summer first, that is.

Luckily, if you're wondering how to keep your home cool in the summer, there are plenty of things you can do, ranging from cost-effective renovations to minor lifestyle adjustments. Let’s take a closer look.

Keep the blinds closed

Have east or west-facing windows? Hang a few blinds or curtains over those windows, then draw them closed when the sun is shining directly at them. Keeping your blinds closed – at least in rooms that tend to be hot spots in your Asheville home – can have a big impact on your household's overall temperature. Then, once the sun moves on, you can open them up again to enjoy the bright natural light of summer.

Set your ceiling fans to spin counterclockwise

If you’re like most homeowners, you probably have your ceiling fans running on the hottest summer days. But the fan blades have to be spinning counterclockwise to push cool air down. Otherwise, it’ll feel like your fans are just pushing around instead of cooling rooms off.

Most ceiling fans have switches or other simple controls where you can set their spin direction. Keep this tip in mind for any other portable fans you might position throughout your home, too!

Insulate your home

The better insulated your property is, the cooler it will stay throughout the summer. So, one of the best ways to prepare your home for the summer heat is to insulate it with a new entry door, new vinyl siding, or new insulation in the attic.

If you were already planning on replacing your home's siding to give it a facelift or make it look as good as new, summer is a great time to start this renovation project. Not only will you enjoy the aesthetic benefits of new siding, but you'll also feel more comfortable during the summer months. Choose a top-quality insulated siding, like Alside’s Prodigy Next-Generation Insulated Siding, to see and feel the biggest benefits.

Use a programmable thermostat

A programmable smart thermostat brings peace of mind, energy savings, and convenience all at the same time. With a programmable thermostat, you can set your temperature to be a little warmer than you think is comfortable when you’re away, then set it to automatically kick in when you’re heading home.

You get to enjoy a cool home when you’re there, and you save energy when you aren’t. Everyone wins, including the planet.

Clean your vents and ducts

No matter how great your Asheville home’s air conditioning system might be, it can’t cool things off if the events and ducts are caked in dust and grime.

With that in mind, clean off the vents you can see, and consider hiring a contractor to inspect your HVAC ducts and overall system before summer really begins. If you make it a habit every year, your HVAC system will last longer, and you'll spend less money on cooling each month since your HVAC will be more efficient.

Keep inside doors open

Do you tend to keep certain doors closed throughout the day? Open them up in the summer, at least around noon; open doors allow free airflow, equalizing temperatures in all the different rooms. However, if one room tends to be hotter than the others and doesn’t have good insulation (like an attic or mudroom), feel free to keep its door closed so the rest of your home doesn’t feel too hot.

Keep appliances off

Many appliances, like computers, dishwashers, and TVs, emit a lot of heat if they stay on and plugged in. This might seem like a small tip, but it has a bigger effect than you might imagine. As you prep your home for summer, get in the habit of turning your appliances off when you aren’t using them and feel the difference in degrees when they aren’t constantly heating up the surrounding area.

Replace drafty windows

Your home’s windows (and doors, for that matter) are some of the most important places to protect in the summer and winter. That’s because about one-third of all household energy loss occurs through these spots. Even a single drafty window can cause a noticeable difference, especially in July and August.

That’s why it’s a good idea to replace those drafty windows with energy-efficient models. Energy-efficient windows use several layers of glass, insulating gas, and airtight seals to stop hot air from getting inside. They’re also great investments since they keep your home warm in the winter, reducing your electric bill costs all the while.

Plus, you can find great-looking, energy-efficient windows in lots of different styles and shapes. MI Windows’ V3000 Series come in single-hung, horizontal slider, casement, and awning models, just to name a few!

Of course, even the best energy-efficient windows will only keep your home cool if they’re installed properly. At Window World of Asheville, our skilled team can help you pick out the best windows for your home based on style or aesthetics, then quickly replace your drafty windows with new ones, ensuring their seals are perfect from day one. It all starts when you visit our showroom or request a free quote!