Since we live in the Houston area – I’ll be focusing on our “Gulf Coast Region” where it’s Hot & Humid climate verse other climates that maybe just Hot… Did you know that even if you built your dream home, with all the top rated energy efficient products out there – it still faces the unknown variable = the Sun. The Texas sun combined with sweltering humidity creates havoc on our daily lives in Houston. With Heat Indexes commonly climbing to over 105’+ most of the summer. That’s our fight – the sun… Did you know that all new homes not only come with a warranty but have performance standards that each home or item needs to maintain under normal circumstances. In Houston it’s 95’ outside – the performance standard is for your homes cooling system be 15’ cooler, so that would be 80’ inside your home. And unless you have window coverings on – that standard isn’t applicable, until you do. Yes, that does seem high & hot for some of us but this is why proper building science and combination of products matter so much. With Zander Homes Live Efficiently package – we help combat this with our collective efforts of Spray Foam, High Efficiency HVAC system, Humidity controls on T-stats, Low-E windows and Appliances and so much more… But even with all this, the SUN is still mightier – but that’s a great defense.
For those of you – like myself who may live in an older home and we don’t have Spray Foam or New HVAC systems or others, then what do we do..? Well there is still hope for all of us out there and it doesn’t have to cost a lot – besides some sweat equity. Here’s a few Tips that I have and believe in to help cool your home not only this summer, but for years to come.
- Window Coverings – lets not get tied down on which one is better or looks better. The first and most important thing is to cover the windows to fight off the heat. So even with a towel or blanket. I remember growing up have blinds closed + a blanket over that blocking out the heat. Or you can do drapery – with a black out liner on the backside of your drapes.
- Sealing Up All Leaks – I once heard a statistic that 40% of a homes Energy Loss is due to Air Leakage. So you have to think of sealing up everything… Caulk all the outside windows and doors asap. Go in your attic and caulk up all those cracks. USE caulking tubs and/or spray foam cans (for unseen areas). *This of course will help you in the Winter months also.
- Use Ceiling Fans – This seems kind of a no brainer – but most people forget about them. Turn them on when you’re in the room to feel the air move on your body. Fans should run Counter-Clockwise (when looking upward). This helps cool you down by Evaporation. Yes it’s just moving the air in the house – but it cools your Body Temperature just as sweat is naturally designed to.
- Time Your House Chores – Did you know your washer & dryer, oven, AC are your biggest drainers on energy & raise your bill higher. Do your laundry in the morning or at night. This will save money not doing items during peak billing hours, but also not running the dryer for a few hours in middle of a summers day – will help keep your home cool. Even think of timing of cooking meals, maybe use the grill outside more if possible…
- FILTERS, FILTERS, FILTERS – I am of the opinion cheaper the filter the better, but that’s not always the case. Whether you want adhd cheap, expensive, Allergen types or others… No matter what you do change those filters. Dirty or Clogged filters will make your AC work harder bc it cant breathe and it could potentially lead to a system failure of your HVAC unit.
- Seal Up that AC Unit – we talked about sealing up all the cracks in/around your home – but what about your AC unit in attic and all the branches/arms in your attic. These tend to leak & break down overtime. Go to a Hardware store and buy HVAC Tape or Mastic (BOTH). Mastic is gray like glue to help go on joints/others to keep air where its supposed to be. The tape can help on flexible ducts or other areas. I recommend sealing up every joint – from the HVAC unit, to the duct, to the boot where the room its going to. Don’t under estimate this.
- Blown Insulation – So everything up to now if there is a costs its only been a few dollars. This while it’ll cost a few hundred can save you Thousands for years to come. Did you know the Energy Code changes in a few months. And R-38 is now the minimum for Blown Insulation in attics. You may have R-30 or less if in an older home. Contact a Insulation company today & have them install R-38 or greater. KEEP your Cool Air from Rising (as it naturally does) and going right into your attic & out your home. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference you’ll see with this.
- Foil Radiant Barriers/Blankets – A lot of you may be in an older home that doesn’t have Radiant Barrier roof decking, which helps keep out the sun’s radiant sunrays. That’s okay you can buy 4’x200’ roll of this Foil Radiant barriers for about $150.00 and still get great use out of it. AFTER you blown in your insulation, lay out/cover your insulation with this foil just like a blanket. *Do not mess up your insulation when doing it – or fix it. IF you lay this ontop of your insulation, it acts just as that, a thermal insulation/blanket keep hot air on one-side and the cool air on the others… *Tip, buy an extendable pole (broom/others) tape a nail onto the end of it – hook onto radiant barrier & fish it out there… this way you don’t have to walk in your attic too much nor mess up the insulation.
- Plant Some Trees – This may not always be applicable, as you home, lot, area or others may not accommodate it. But this is Mother Natures way of keeping us cool = SHADE. IF your able to plant some trees, they can be different types/species – beautify your home and yard with it, but know that a few years down the road & it’ll pay dividends that none of the above could replace.
- MISC – OF course turn off lights, unplug things that are not in use. USE a Programmable T-Stat. Other things as changing out your sheets on your bed help to sleep. Drinking more water. Make sure your AC condenser outside is clean & free of debris + give it room to breathe a min of 18” around.
There are a million of tips and tricks to use. A lot of these you may of heard before, some like the New Energy code for insulation & one of my favorites Thermal/Foil blankets you may not. But if you’ll invest one weekend – I promise that not only will you see a difference year over year, BUT you’ll feel it by the comfort level in your home. And if I’m comfortable in my house and saving money that’s pretty good.