If you have been on any social media channels, you have probably seen a post or two along the lines of: “I went outside today and saw two Hobbits trying to throw a ring into my backyard.” Or “This summer, don’t forget to hydrate and don’t go back outside until November.”
In addition to humor, most of us try to escape this heat by heading indoors to our air-conditioned homes. But after a while, we begin to notice that our house is not as cool as it should be.
Our first instinct is to adjust the thermostat, but that might not be the wisest decision. Here are some valuable tips from Houselogic.com on how to “Beat the Heat Inside Your Home” this summer.
Know your household’s habits and goals. So, even though some people turn their AC way down at night to save money, you may have a hard time sleeping when it’s hot. “So, having a lower temperature at night might actually make sense,” Richardson says.
Wait to lower the AC after the first time. If you’re uncomfortably warm after lowering the AC, wait a while before going into panic mode and turning the setting down a few more times. An HVAC system takes a long time to respond to changes in a thermostat. The temperature in the house has to adjust to not just the air, but also heat from the sun, the leakiness of the home, and the temperature of the walls and objects like furniture and rugs.
Limit your activities to areas of your house that tend to be the coolest. Those could be rooms with fewer windows or downstairs, where it’s typically cooler. That will help you avoid the uneven temperatures that are almost inevitable in a house. “The thermostat is reading one temperature in one part of the house, and it’s tough to get that temperature evenly distributed across the entire building,” he says.
Consider mini-splits. These heating and cooling systems allow you to control the temperatures in individual rooms or spaces without ductwork. “It’s sort of twice the size of a breadbox and sticks on a wall,” Richardson says. “It provides airflow in just that room. It’s like zoning, only way better.” You need a box in each room, but you can set the temperature in one room at, say, 68 degrees and in another room at 78.
Set your thermostat so the fan runs more frequently. If you have an Ecobee or a Nest, you can set the fan to run continuously. “When you have a forced air system, oftentimes the hot air rises, so you get a really warm second floor. But if you run the fan, you can be cycling the air throughout the entire house, which creates a much more even temperature.
With all these tips in mind, I hope you can beat the heat this summer, no matter how hot it gets outside. Remember, a few smart adjustments can go a long way in improving your comfort and potentially saving on energy costs. So, keep your cool and make your home a sanctuary from the summer heat. Stay hydrated, cool and enjoy a breezy, comfortable summer indoors! That’s Who We R.
Founded in 1912, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is the voice for real estate in Greater Chattanooga. A regional organization with more than 2,700 members, Greater Chattanooga Realtors serves Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. The association is one of approximately 1,100 local associations and board of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors. Greater Chattanooga Realtors owns and operates a Multiple Listing Service that is one of approximately 600 MLSs in the country and that services more than 3,000 users. Local association membership consists of Realtors servicing the Greater Chattanooga area and specializing in a variety of disciplines, including appraisal, commercial, industrial, land, multifamily, property management and residential. Working alongside Realtors are our affiliate members, who represent related industries in sympathy with the objectives of the association. Our affiliate members include mortgage lenders, home inspectors, title and closing services, pest inspection and control and insurance.