What are some ways to keep my house cooler in the summer?
Question:I live in Florida and we're renting an old house that is poorly insulated. Our house gets up to 80 degrees even with the a/c set at 70! We close all the blinds, keep all lights off and leave a ceiling fan on in the living room for the dog. The bedrooms seem to get the worst of it and my daughter is only 1 year old. Her room takes forever to cool down and it's too hot for her to go to sleep when she's tired. I know curtains can help but is there a specific weight or kind? Are there any other tricks we can do/use to help cool the house down or better insulate the home so the heat doesn't creep in as much?
Answers:
You can put some light coloured board in front of blinds so it reflects ALL the light and your room will be very dark without lights ON. And you open windows when it is dark and little cold outside for some fresh air for night and next day.
You can use the school project boards to put on the window.
There is some sort of liquid foam insulation that you have to drill through the dry wall and insert a nozzle. It goes in as a liquid and dries. There are some tax advantages (energy tax credits) to do this -- so consult with your landlord about it. Get a couple of estimates or see if you can do it yourself.
White lined curtains are best as they deflect heat. I have a room AC for my bedroom I use only at night, I have it on a timer- I then can turn up the AC for the rest of the house (programmed thermostat). It barely runs most evenings.
make sure there are roof vents or vertical louvered vents below roof peak to let air circulate in the attic,,,,ask owner to install insulation on attic floor to keep lower floors cooler,,,,if front or back doors have transomes that are painted shut,opening these could help vent heat .i you have a window ac unit,make sure filter and inside parts are clean,,,,,,see if it needs recharge of coolant,cut pieces of oiled or painted cheap paneling pieces trimmed to fit snugly,sealing ac in sash & storm with latex caulk.if theres central ac,check coolant(service guy needed for this),check for insulation on coolant hoses,,,maybe replace fan limiter switch,,,,,,clean inside air exchanger,check filter,a home depot dehumidifier could help(costs 50 or 60 bucks),also setting tupperware with a sm handful of calcium chloride could assist in collecting water,it's kind of expensive(dont let dawg eat the stuff),,,,hosing roof of hose during day & once at night can help
Anything light or white colored will reflect the heat. Also, placing some shade trees around your house will keep it cooler.
very dark curtains will keep light out off your house and i would perfur you to not use your oven that much that really keeps the house hot!
You should ask your landlord to have the a/c fixed. If you have to set it on 70 to get the temperature down to 80, there's something wrong with the a/c.
Short of using a fan to blow on a block of ice (if you can find block ice these days), you're not going to get your inside temperature any cooler than the outside temperature. You may make it feel more comfortable with a dehumidifier (a/c was invented by a guy who developed an understanding of the relationships between temperature, humidity and the dew point), but if it's hot outside it's going to be hot inside.
I am not suggesting that your landlord is the least bit devious, but if he rented you a house that featured air conditioning and it doesn't work, he has obligation to make it work. You are probably paying an arm and a leg for electricity to keep your system running 24/7.
One thing you can do to keep your daughter cooler until your a/c is fixed is spray a little bit of water on her sheets and use a fan. She may need to wear pajamas or a gown to keep from getting cold. This doesn't last too long, but by the time the water evaporates she will be asleep.
Good luck with this one. I also live in Florida and could not exist without a/c.
you migth want to get some fans and open the doors in the house and let the air circulate through the house
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