Air conditioning may seem impossible to do without during our hot summers here in the Wichita Falls area, but it was not all that many years ago that people stayed relatively comfortable without it. You can cut your summer energy use and cooling costs significantly by using some of the same strategies for reducing summer heat gain that people used here long before the first air conditioners arrived.
Here are some tips for ways to cut summer heat gain in your home. Some of these are free and some will require some investment, but they will all keep your house cooler and trim your energy bills by keeping your air conditioning from having to work so hard to keep your home comfortable:
- Plant deciduous trees and shrubs so that their leaves will shade your roof and south-facing walls in summer. Since they lose their leaves in winter, they will let the warming sunlight in when you need it. Vegetation not only provides shade, but it also cools the surrounding air during photosynthesis, so you get a double cooling effect.
- Close window shades when the summer sun is shining through them. Keep north-facing shades open to give yourself light. You can put reflective film on south-facing windows to minimize summer heat gain, but that will also reduce solar gain in the winter.
- Consider installing a whole-house fan or attic fan to keep your attic cool and to circulate cool morning air into your home before the sun comes up.
- Apply a light-colored coating to your roof to reflect the sun’s rays or install a radiant barrier to the underside of your roof inside your attic. Be sure your attic floor is adequately insulated to inhibit heat radiation into your house.
- Take advantage of cool mornings and afternoons to let air circulate inside your house. Open windows to let fresh air in early in the morning and late in the evening, then close them during the hotter times of day.
Call us at James Lane for more energy-saving home comfort tips. Our heating and air conditioning experts can help you keep your home comfortable and efficient in every season.
