Tips on How To Cool Your Home

A fun but impractical way to cool down.

Hot enough for you?

With spring in full bloom and summer just around the corner, it’s time to consider how you’ll keep your cool for the next few months — ideally, in a way that doesn’t just save energy but also preserves your pocket.

Last year’s blog post about “Prep Your Home for Summer” proved pretty popular, and I have since  learned new tips (some of which I heard from our homeowners).

So without further ado, here’s a list of simple tips you can follow to make your home cooler:

Use natural ventilation. If it cools down at night in your neck of the woods, consider opening your windows and turning off the cooling system. Shut the windows when you wake up in the morning, not forgetting to close the blinds as well. This will effectively trap the cool air inside your home.

Don’t underestimate fans. They don’t just support air conditioning (see the next tip) — they can even replace it if you want to open your windows and enjoy the breeze. Besides table fans and ceiling fans, window fans are a great option. Today’s units are cheap and even include thermostats. Consider getting two: place one on one side of your home, blowing outward so that it expels hot air, and place the second on the opposite side, blowing inwards so it cools your home. (If you live in a two-storey home, place the outward-blowing unit upstairs; since hotter air rises, the fan will remove it sooner.)

Fans need not rule out air conditioning. In fact, they can support it. Using a ceiling fan allows you to raise the thermostat setting up to 15°C higher without reducing your comfort.

Use the thermostat to your advantage. There’s no need to turn your home into the North Pole. Set your thermostat as high as it’s comfortably possible. The smaller the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.

Seal it. Proper insulation is as important in the summer as it is in the winter. Sealed cracks and openings will prevent warm air from finding its way into your home.

Of course, if you already live in a Mason Home, this isn’t a concern for you, thanks to the Energy Efficiency component of our Green for Life program that keeps perfect temperature year around, all while keeping dust, moisture and pollen where they belong — outside.

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