6 Ideas to Help Keep Your House Cool Without High Utility Bills

Keeping the home comfortable is a vital part of homeownership, but not when it begins to drain your finances. Here, we look at a few smart ways you can keep your home cool and comfortable without having to spend a lot on utility bills.

1.     Dehumidify

If you live in an area where there is high humidity, it will cause your home to be hot and stuffy, and cause you to sweat a lot, sweat that will be difficult to evaporate so that you can cool off. In such a situation, rather than burning money running your air cooling or air conditioning system, you can quickly dehumidify your space while opening the windows, running a small electric fan or dehumidifier or simply taking short cold showers are intervals.

2.     Try Insulated Window Films

Another smart way to cut down on energy bills without compromising on the comfort of your home is to install insulated window films on your windows. This hack offers a ton of benefits such as helping you reduce HVAC use and thus lower energy bills while you can still enjoy uninterrupted natural light and outdoor views. Insulated window films can cut down the direct infrared heat of the sun by 98%.

3.     Check your HVAC Filters

Not many people know that clogged or bad air filters in the HVAC will make your cooling unit work harder just to perform the same job. This is why it is always a good idea to change the filters in your HVAC unit regularly, preferably once every month. The good news is that regardless of the make and model of your unit, you can always get great filters you need online.

Just like replacing the oil in your car, regularly replacing your HVAC filter is critical to the functioning of your HVAC unit.

4.      Use Fans to Lower the Cost of Cooling

There are many options for cooling your home that will cost a lot less than an HVAC unit. For example, you can use ceiling fans, table fans, or portable fans to cool your room rather than relying only on the AC that cost a lot to power.

Of course, these fans also make use of electricity, but they don’t cost as much as the AC, and there are also battery powered or rechargeable fans that you can opt for.

Unlike an AC, a ceiling fan will reduce the heat in your room by as much as 10% or 10 degrees while using just 10% of the power needed to power a central air conditioner.

5.      Reduce Heat Causing Activities

Whenever the outside temperature is hotter than the temperature indoors, try to reduce or avoid activities that generate more heat. For example, consider using the microwave to heat your meals instead. Also, instead of using the dishwasher or clothes dryer, you can do your dishes by hand and dry your clothes on a clothesline outside.

Using equipment like these when it is very hot will only heat up your house more, causing you to use more of your air conditioner, thereby racking up the energy bills.

6.      Plant Trees and Flowers

Do you know that plants can manage humidity around the house? House plants are not just known for their aesthetic and calming values, they can also reduce heat around the house and make your space very comfortable.

If you don’t fancy plants inside your living space, then you can plant then by your windows. Planting shade trees by the window will limit the direct rays of the sun, throw some shade into the room, and also afford you some privacy from peeping toms passing by.