As a professional realtor, I am always interested in obtaining more knowledge for all things to do with house and home. These are a few tips I have found very helpful for all of us to stay cool this summer.

I don’t know about you—but I love the hot summer weather—but only when I am outside. Inside, the stifling heat and humidity can get unbearable. It is important to remember than the elderly, young children and animals have a much harder time regulating heat. What is good for an adult may not be good for your elderly parents or young children. Animals, as most people know, do not have the same ability to regulate their body heat. It is so important to keep hydrated and monitor yours and your loved ones exposure to the heat.

Ahhhh! Air conditioning

Air conditioning is the first and most effective way to beat the heat, however the cost in dollars and energy consumption can be very high for central air conditioning. Not everyone can afford this comfort, often central air is only in luxury homes and office buildings. Home prices for residential properties, and other expenses being as high as they are, we all want to save money where we can. There are several ways to maximize the effectiveness of your air conditioner without having to lower the temperature gauge. If you are able to provide some shade to an outside central air compressor, you can greatly reduce the amount of energy it will need to operate efficiently.

If you find yourself looking for a new air conditioner for a new house or replacing your existing unit, look for the Energy Star label. Newer air conditioners are more efficient than they were years ago, but know that the free standing portable air conditioners have a very short life if they are used regularly.

Acting as a real estate consultant, I am personally very sensitive to the issues shared by many home owners. Whether in houses, townhouses, condominiums, duplexes or even as an owner of a commercial property, many people are unable to afford central air conditioning or have no way to install it.

Fans

I suggest you position a fan near a window air conditioner or free standing, portable air conditioner; you will be able to distribute the cool air over a larger area of your home. Clean and change the filters on your air conditioning unit frequently to ensure that it is running at its best capacity and will be less likely to break down.

If you are lucky enough to have ceiling fans (I have one in the bedroom and one in the family room), be sure to adjust them to the summer setting. Fans should be moving counter clockwise so that the air will blow down from the ceiling instead of up. Ceiling fans are a great way to beat the heat. I have also been successful using window fans that have a reverse setting. You can actually suck the hot air out of the room when it is still warm outside. Once the cooler evening begins, turn the fan inwards for a cooling effect and some fresh air too!

Portable fans are a real life saver! They are a very affordable, effective and an easy to find item. Place them throughout the house for maximum circulation. Another great tip is to place a large mixing bowl full of ice in front of the fan and the cooling effect is miraculous!

Pillows and Bedding

Try buying pillows stuffed with Buckwheat, its hulls have air inside and won’t hold body heat. Silk pillows & the cooling gel pillows are great as well. Also use cotton sheets instead of any other kind of fabric. Cotton is a naturally absorbent fabric and much cooler than other synthetic or heavier fabrics like flannel.

Windows and Exposure

Very simple things, like keeping your windows covered on the east in the morning and then south and west facing sides of your home mid-day to evening will greatly reduce heating up your house. Keep closed from morning until dusk if you are gone for the day. Whenever possible, have white blinds (turn them up, not down to reflect the suns rays), ensure that the inside lining of curtains or drapes are in white to deflect the sun and heat to lower your rooms temperatures.

Close doors to rooms not in use to reduce the area needing to be cooled. Turn on bathroom and kitchen fans.

By all Means…BBQ

I always try to BBQ whenever possible in the summer months. I truly love to cook, but summer heat takes me out of the kitchen. Barbecuing saves energy and keeps the house cool if you don’t use the stove or the oven. It also means far less time cooking…That’s a bonus! Just sit back with a cold drink and listen to the sizzle.

Lazy Days of Summer?

Run your dishwasher at night and use the non-heating dry cycle. Laundry should also be done in the early morning or evening to avoid further heating up the house. I always wait for full loads of both dishes and laundry to save on energy year round, the summer weather will make you happy to have developed this habit. I am able to hang things on a clothes line which saves the dryer heat. Not everyone has the advantage of owning property to allow for a full sized clothes line, but you can use a small portable hanging rack. This works well too and things dry quickly at this time of the year.

Pilot Light

Another heat source is the pilot light in your gas fireplace. Many people don’t know that they need to turn off their pilot lights or they don’t know how. Fireplace pilots can heat up a whole house; and especially a Condo building! When it is this hot out already, you don’t want to do anything to heat up your environment and you will save on the gas bill too. Many Condo strata’s do require the pilot lights to be turned off.

Turn Off Lights

Turn off all lights everywhere in the house, one bulb going can really add to the heat. Change your bulbs to CFL’s. Incandescent bulbs waste 90% of their energy in the heat they emit. CFL’s won’t just help with your hydro bill. They will make your home cooler too. Use power strips for computers; televisions etc. and switch them off when not being used.

“Smart’ power strips have combination outlets to allow you to have some things off and some things on.

If you wish to contribute any idea’s that help homeowners, feel free to contact me anytime at I will endeavor to update homeowners on ways to save money, be more comfortable and to enjoy home ownership. Buying or Selling, Phone Joan, big or small I sell them all “Since 1980”.
Enjoy your summer. Cheers!

Phone Joan 604-220-7653 or Email joan@joanhansen.ca[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]