How to Keep Your House Cool in the Summer

At the height of summer, the sun can be unbearable. All you want to do is find a cool place to escape the heat for a while, but it’s not always easy. On the hottest days of the year, even the inside of your home can feel like a sauna.

Fortunately, there are several ways to keep your house cool in the summer–even when the AC isn’t quite cutting it. 

Why Not Just Use the AC?

If your AC is broken or inefficient, you probably don’t have to ask this question. But if you have a great unit that blasts cool air through the entire house, you might be wondering why you’d need other ways to keep your home cool in the summer. 

The truth is that if you’re only interested in how to keep a house cool with AC, you’re also looking at higher energy bills (especially in hot states like Florida and Arizona).

Plus, it’s wise to be prepared in case your AC breaks. Repair technicians can take a while to reach you, especially when they’re busy in the summer months. Understanding how to keep a house cool in hot weather will help ensure that you won’t suffer too much should your AC encounter any problems.

Essential Tips to Keep Your House Cool in the Summer

So, AC or not, keeping your home cool in other ways will only boost your comfort and lower your electric bills in the 100-degree heat. We recommend using a combination of the following tips for the best results. 

And though the optimal time to prepare is before the heat becomes too much, it’s never too late. 

Close, Cover, and Seal Windows

Make sure your windows are closed all the way to prevent the heat from getting in. Even if you think they’re closed, do the rounds to check. As you do, look for cracks in the insulation or caulking. If you see any, have the cracks repaired to keep the heat out. 

Covering your windows with blinds or curtains will also help block the heat. 

Insulate Your Doors

After you check the insulation around your windows, do the same for your doors. Even the slightest crack in the door’s wood or caulking can allow heat to leak in, so inspect them thoroughly. If you have your doubts, any handyperson can check this for you.

Insulate Your Attic

If you live in a hot state and your attic isn’t well-insulated, the best-case scenario is that your AC works harder, raising your energy bills. But with the attic accounting for so much surface area, the worst-case scenario is that your AC does that and still can’t cool the house down because it can’t compete with the heat outside.

If you notice that your energy bills are extraordinarily high compared to how much you use your HVAC system, a poorly insulated attic is often the culprit.

Close Off Unused Rooms

This is perhaps the easiest tip for keeping your house cool: start the day by closing the doors to the rooms that you won’t be using much. Doing so will keep the cold air circulating in the rooms where you need it most. If you use AC, you can also close the vents in these rooms.

Minimize the Cooking

We know you want to bake that casserole, but unless you want to be in a hot house while you’re at it, it’s best to avoid the oven and stove on extra hot days. When they radiate 400 degrees, the heat can rapidly warm up your kitchen and the nearby areas of the house. 

Instead, opt for cold meals on a hot day, like a chilled soup or pasta salad. Cold meals can also be the perfect refresher. Or, if you’re feeling indulgent, order in. 

Avoid Heated Tools

Your kitchen appliances aren’t the only tools that radiate heat. You’d be surprised at how much warmth your electronics give off. When it comes to cooling down the house in summer, many people don’t know that keeping the electrical use to a minimum is a huge help. 

What does this look like in practice? Let your hair air dry instead of turning on the blow dryer, for example.

Get LED Light Bulbs

If you need light during the day—and you likely do if you’re keeping the windows covered—use energy-efficient LED light bulbs. These give off minimal heat compared to other bulbs, so you’re not fighting yet another source of warmth.

Make Use of Fans

If you have fans in your house, don’t forget to use them. Even when you’re not in a room, leaving them on can cool that room off for later. Just make sure to set your fans to rotate counter-clockwise in the summer; this is the direction that pushes cold air downward. 

If you don’t have fans, consider installing them. Aside from AC, there’s no quicker or more effective method to keep your house cool.

Pro Tip: If you’re using a portable fan, place some ice in front of the fan to create colder air. 

Sleep With Cotton Sheets

In the colder months, flannel and other thick sheet materials are great for keeping you warm, but be sure to swap them out for cotton in the warmer months. (And don’t forget to change out the pillowcases too.) 

If you have a thicker blanket or comforter on the bed, you’ll also feel loads better if you swap it for a light one.

Buy a Dehumidifier

Buying a dehumidifier not only cools the house down by drawing out the moisture and getting rid of that awful muggy feeling, but it also improves the air quality in the home. They can be a bit of an investment, but they’re very much worth it.

Repaint Your Home

Painting the exterior of your home is an investment, and it’s not something you want to do for every season. However, certain paint colors absorb the sun, while others reflect it. Typically, the lighter the shade, the better for the summer months. 

Depending on the color of your home, the right color change can help keep your walls and, therefore, the inside of your home cool. 

Let Air in at Night

At night, when the air outside is cooler than the air inside, open your doors and windows to let that cool air in. It’ll help relieve the heat of the day and give your AC a head start for tomorrow. 

Try Different Methods to Find What Works for You

When figuring out how to keep your house cool in the summer, it’s worth trying multiple methods to compound the effect. However, you can also choose which methods are right for your home. If you have cracks and gaps in your window caulking, you’ll find a lot of relief from filling them. But if your problem is the attic, then that should be your focus. 

Ultimately, it’s about doing what’s best for you—and don’t feel guilty for blasting the AC if you need to.