The air conditioner in your Northern Mississippi and South west Tennessee home has been designed to keep you cool as efficiently as possible on the hottest summer days, but its job is often made much harder by heat gain, which can be caused by the sun, appliances that produce heat, and poor insulation in the home’s ceilings, floors, walls and attic. With the following tips, you will learn how to reduce heat gain in your home, which will help lower your utility bills and keep you more comfortable throughout the summer:
Shade Your Windows: Use awnings, curtains, blinds or shades to shade the windows and reflect the sun’s heat back outside during the day. Choose light-colored window treatments for the best reflectivity and look for products that have a low shading coefficient, which indicates how much shade a window treatment provides. Reducing solar heat gain alone can reduce your cooling bills by up to 25 percent.
Avoid Using Unnecessary Lights and Appliances: During the daytime, shut off any lights, appliances and electronics that you are not using, as they can produce extra heat. Use heat-producing appliances such as hair dryers, clothes dryers and dishwashers at night when it’s cooler and make sure to turn on the exhaust fans when cooking or bathing to remove excess humidity.
Check Your Insulation Levels: Make sure your home has adequate insulation to prevent heat gain. Ceilings and attic floors should have at least R-30, walls should have at least R-13, and floors should have at least R-19. Add more if necessary.
Seal Air Leaks: Use caulk, weatherstripping and expanding foam insulation to seal air leaks around doors, windows, damaged siding, plumbing runs and electrical lines outside and inside the home. Use door sweeps to seal the bottom of doors and foam gaskets to seal electrical outlets and switches.
Use Light Exterior Colors: Choose lighter-colored exterior paints, siding and doors when possible to reduce the absorption of heat from the sun. If you would like more information about reducing heat gain in your home, contact our cooling experts at Harbin heating and Air. We have served North Mississippi, south west Tennessee, north Alabama. since 1988.
