One thing we can all count on in Washtenaw County is that Mother Nature will give us some very hot summer days. Learn how to keep your house cool on a steamy summer day in Michigan. It can be tough to cool down a house, especially on a budget, so take our advice and don’t sweat it!
HVAC Home System Maintenance – Get Help From a Pro
It’s best to call a local HVAC contractor to have your air conditioner maintained before issues crop up.
The first step in getting a home air conditioner serviced is evaluating whatever system you have in place. Knowing what type of home cooling system you have can help you maintain it. Many inbuilt HVAC systems are best maintained by a reputable Ann Arbor HVAC contractor like Indoor Comfort and Haley Mechanical.
HVAC systems can break down at the worst times. Nobody wants to deal with a broken A/C in the middle of July, or a broken heater in December! Consider getting an insurance plan to protect your HVAC and other home appliances/systems. Check out this one from DTE (which will give you cash towards a new appliance if it can’t be repaired) or this one from Consumers Energy (which has no charge for covered labor, parts, and repairs).
Preventative Maintenance You Can Do Yourself
Part of regular window air conditioner maintenance is cleaning the filter. Make sure to do this often to maximize air flow to make sure your space is cooling efficiently.
Taking care of your home’s air conditioning system is essential to keep it running efficiently (which means lower utility bills!). Luckily, there is some preventative maintenance that many homeowners can comfortably do themselves.
- Replace air filters. It’s a simple step and the first one you should take to reduce your cooling costs. Filters cost can cost $5-$20 to replace, depending on the type you need, and easily slide in and out of the unit. Having a clean air filter can save you between 5% and 15% of your total cooling costs.
- Be sure any drainage ports are free of clogs. Periodically, send a stiff wire through the drain to help keep it clear.
- Trim the landscaping. Keep trees, shrubs and other landscaping materials at least 18” away from your air conditioning unit and no less than five feet above it. This will ensure that plantings do not interfere with the how the unit functions and allows air to flow around it so that it works at top efficiency.
- Check your thermostat to make sure it is working properly. If it has a battery backup, change it when you change your clocks in the fall.
Tips for Room Air Conditioner, Ceiling Fans, Dehumidifiers, and Whole House Fans
Here are more tips for different types of cooling methods other than central air conditioning.
Room Air Conditioners
Room Air Conditioners are a great way to keep your most used rooms cool in the summer. You can pick one or two up at a hardware store to make a bedroom or home office cool without installing an entire AC system.
If you have a room air conditioning unit that sits in a window, be sure to inspect around the unit and the opening to make sure that it is well sealed and that precious cool air is not escaping. Ensure that drains are clear of clogs and that the unit’s thermostat is in the right position.
Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can be set to help move warm or cold throughout your home depending on the setting, so make sure your ceiling fan blades are in the right direction for improving cooling.
Many homeowners swear by ceiling fans, and for good reason. When ceiling fans are used properly, they can be a huge help in keeping a room comfortably cool. In fact, Energy.gov reports that when you use a ceiling fan, you can lower your thermostat by a whopping 4 degrees!
Regularly dust your ceiling fans and be sure to change the blade direction with the seasons. When you stand under the fan, it should be turning clockwise (reverse) in winter to push warm air back down and counterclockwise (forward) in summer so you feel the breeze below.
Dehumidifiers
Besides cooling systems, removing moisture from the air is one way to cool your home. Central air systems often do both jobs of removing moisture from the air and cooling it. But, your a/c will be more energy efficient if the moisture is already reduced before it has to do the cooling. In comes the dehumidifier.
Many homes in Ann Arbor and southeast Michigan benefit from having a dehumidifier in the basement or levels of the home that are partly or fully below ground level. Be sure to monitor the collection bucket for accumulated water and empty it frequently to keep the unit from automatically shutting off because it is full.
Having less moisture in the air will definitely make you more comfortable, but allergy sufferers will have another reason to rejoice. Many common allergens thrive in humid environments, so when you reduce the humidity you also reduce those perfect conditions that pesky molds and mildew love. Not only can allergy sufferers breathe a little better when the air is less humid, but all those effects of allergies like rashes, sneezing, and itchy or watery eyes can be reduced, too.
Whole House Fans
Homes built before the 1960’s or earlier have whole house fans installed. Some homeowners prefer the whole house fan to other methods of cooling. This is a unit that draws fresh air into the house through open windows and sends it back out through a port in the attic. Some people find these to work as well as or better than central air conditioning units to cool their home.
If you have a whole house fan, you will want to consult with a professional to check it over periodically. Click here to learn more about whole house fans.
More Tips to Keep a House Cool
Try some of these tips to help keep your home cool this summer.
Even if you don’t have central air conditioning or another system to cool the air inside your house, you can take some other steps to keep your home cooler on hot days. Here are some of the easiest that you can try right away:
- Keep the house closed up. Keep doors and windows closed during the day to keep the hot air out. Opening the windows on a hot day lets in the heat, usually without generating any form of breeze.
- Keep curtains and blinds closed on windows that get direct sun. This will shield the room from the sun’s hot rays.
- Plant trees on the east or west side of your house, or both. This will help to shield part of your house during the hottest times of day.
- Don’t cool rooms that you don’t use – close the vent in that room and shut the door.
- Wait until the evening or overnight to run major appliances that can generate heat, like dishwashers, ovens, and clothes dryers.
- Cook or grill outdoors when possible.
- Ensure that the weatherstripping around your doors is in good shape and doing its job of keeping outside air from seeping in. Check windows for air leaks, too.
- Have a professional check your attic’s insulation and consider adding more if it is determined that yours doesn’t have enough.
- Use high-efficiency CFL or LED light bulbs which produce less heat than their older counterparts.
- Install sun filtering films on the windows that receive direct sun. There are DIY kits available to accomplish this, but the professional route tends to be most effective and look better.
- Consult with a heating and cooling specialist before replacing or installing a new air conditioning system to avoid getting one that is too big or too small for your space.
When trying to beat the heat, you can always spend quality time in your outdoor spaces. Try having more nights where you cook or grill outside if possible.
Contact us Anytime for Home Improvement Advice
We can refer you to trusted professionals and tell you how any improvement can affect the price of your home. Then, when you are ready to list it, you will be in the best position you can be as a home seller. Contact us today; we’ll be happy to help in any way we can.
