How To Keep Your Home Cool In The Heat Of Summer

The steamy heat of summer is quickly approaching. If your Eastern Pennsylvania home is starting to feel like an oven, and your electric bill is through the roof, here are a few easy and affordable tips to lower your energy bill and keep your home cool this summer.

1. Window Coverings- To help keep your home cool, keep the window coverings closed. Inexpensive blinds can easily help reduce the amount of light entering your home which will reduce the temperature.
2. Lighting- Believe it or not the lights you have in your home could be adding to the heat. The traditional incandescent light bulbs can really heat up a room. Replace those old light bulbs with new high-efficiency low-heat CFL (compact fluorescent lights) bulbs. LED (light emitting diodes) bulbs are another great alternative.
3. Cooking- When it comes to cooking during the summer months do so wisely. Cook on the grill or utilize the microwave as much as possible. A toaster oven is another great alternative over using the oven. To reduce the humidity in your home cover pots when cooking.
4. Windows & doors- Your windows and doors may be a major factor of the heat inside your home. Make sure all windows in your home are closed and locked tightly to prevent air from escaping. Apply proper weather stripping around older windows to help prevent cool air from escaping.
5. Fans- Portable fans and ceiling fans are ideal for helping to keep your home cool while using less energy than your air conditioner. During the summer months, set your ceiling fans to run counterclockwise. Always turn the fan off when not in a room.
6. Filters- Help your air conditioner operate more efficiently by replacing your air filter. It is ideal to replace your home’s air filter monthly during high usage times to allow air to flow unobstructed.
7. Appliances- Delay using your major appliances as much as possible during the heat of the day. Your washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher all emit heat as well as humidity into the air. Put these tasks off until the cooler part of the evening.
8. Landscaping- To help keep your home cool plant some trees on the west and south side of your home. Planting shade trees help to keep your home cool and use less energy.

Stay cool this summer! These are just a few of many things you can do to help your home not only feel cooler this summer but also save energy.

If you are looking to buy or sell your Eastern Pennsylvania or New Jersey home this spring, The Silva Group would be delighted to help.  Contact us at any time or feel free to call us directly at (267) 202-4955.

The Silva Group is comprised of Philadelphia and New Jersey’s best and brightest in the real estate industry. Our team is more than a bunch of real estate agents packed into an office – we are friends and family members who all have one passion – to provide the very best real estate experience possible to our clients.