Gayle Stellas
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July
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How to Keep Your Home Cool Without Cranking Up the AC
Chicago gets mighty hot when summer rolls around. This is the season to visit our beautiful Lake Michigan beaches and do whatever you need to do to keep cool.
When it comes to staying cool, you might be tempted to close up the windows and bask in the air conditioning, but there are other ways of beating the heat. Our real estate agents in Chicagoland have some tips for keeping your home cool without blasting the AC.
- Open your windows at night.
Sounds simple, right? Even on hot days in Chicago, things tend to cool down as the sun goes down. Open up the windows in your house to take advantage of nature's air conditioning, or better yet, open the windows at opposite ends of the house to create a cross-breeze. As soon as the sun rises in the morning, close the windows and draw the curtains to keep that cool air in for as long as possible. - Run fans.
Turning on a fan may not be able to completely replace air conditioning, but it can help you rely on your AC less. Moving air feels cooler, so you can probably turn your air conditioning up a few degrees with fans on without noticing much of a difference. And be sure to run all the fans in your house with the windows open when it's cool outside. - Manage your home's humidity levels.
High humidity can make hot air feel even hotter, and you might find that you're more comfortable when the air is less sticky. Try a room humidifier to manage the humidity levels in part of your house, or consider a whole-house humidifier to maintain an ideal humidity level of 30 to 50 percent throughout the home. - Grill outside.
Using your oven and stove top can add a lot of unnecessary heat to your home in summertime, so try to keep indoor cooking and baking to a minimum, especially during the hottest parts of the day. Instead, grill and cook more of your meals outside, and enjoy cool, no-cooking-needed side dishes like salads and fruit. If you do need to bake something, do it at night or early in the morning when it's cooler. - Install window shades or awnings.
The sun's hot rays can create a greenhouse-like effect when they shine through your windows. To minimize heat gain, install awnings above windows, and consider a retractable awning over big sliding glass doors. Putting up a canopy or pergola on your patio or porch can also help. - Draw the blinds.
Another effective way to keep the sun from overly warming up your house is to keep window blinds and shades drawn, especially during the hottest parts of the day. Invest in blackout curtains to really ensure that the sun's warmth stays outside. - Seal and insulate your home.
In the same way that air leaks and poor insulation can lead to heat loss in winter, they can make it hard to keep your home cool in summer. Inspect your house for air leaks, especially around windows, doors, vents, and pipes, and seal them with caulk or weather stripping. If you live in an older home without sufficient insulation, consider having newer, more efficient insulation installed. This is one of the tasks you should do to prepare your home for the summer.
Contact us today to learn more about life in Chicagoland. Whether you're looking for your dream home or looking for ways to live Chicago life to its fullest, our real estate agents are here to help every step of the way.
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