5 Tips for Keeping Your House Cool

When the summer months arrive in the Ozarks, the heat and the humidity arrive together. Afternoons in Bentonville, Rogers, and Fayetteville can push a house past the point where the air conditioner feels like enough. A few simple habits take some of the load off the system and keep the rooms you actually live in more comfortable. Here are five easy ways to keep your house cool all summer long.

Block the heat at the windows

It is all about the windows. A great way to keep heat from entering your house is to keep your windows covered. Summer is a good time to invest in a thick curtain, shutters, or a blackout curtain, and you could even go with a thermal shade. That barrier keeps heat and light from coming through the glass and warming your space.

Pay the most attention to windows that face the sun during the hottest part of the day. In most homes that means the west side in the afternoon and the south side through midday. Closing the covering before the sun hits the glass works better than closing it after the room has already warmed up.

Let the fan and the doors help

Change the direction of your ceiling fan. A simple way to cool down your space is to have the fan turn counterclockwise. When you stand under it and look up, the blades should be moving counterclockwise, which pushes air down and creates a breeze you can feel. Most fans have a small switch on the motor housing that reverses the direction. Turn the fan off and let the blades stop before you flip it. Remember that a fan cools people, not rooms, so switch it off when you leave.

Close the doors to rooms you are not in. During the hottest time of day, shut the door to any room you are not using, such as a guest bedroom or a home office. That keeps the cool air from filling spaces nobody is in and lets it collect in the rooms you want to keep cool.

Sleep cooler with lighter bedding

Change your bedsheets. In the summer, put away the flannel and fleece and choose a cotton sheet. Heavier fabrics are perfect for insulation during colder months, but a light sheet will not hold as much heat. In an area where humid nights are common, breathable cotton makes a real difference in how you sleep, and it lets you keep the thermostat a degree or two higher without noticing.

• Cover sun-facing windows before the afternoon heat builds.
• Run the ceiling fan counterclockwise and turn it off in empty rooms.
• Close the doors to rooms you are not using.
• Swap flannel and fleece for light cotton sheets.
• Have the air conditioner looked at if it seems to be struggling.

Get your HVAC unit inspected

If you feel like your air conditioner is not working up to snuff, it may need a simple repair or, depending on its age, it may need to be replaced. Warning signs include rooms that never seem to cool down, a system that runs almost constantly, or air from the vents that feels only mildly cool.

Before you call, a few quick checks are worth doing. Make sure the filter is clean, keep furniture and curtains off the vents, and clear any leaves or debris from around the outdoor unit. If you think the system needs a little extra attention, a technician can run an inspection and help you determine its health. Allied's A-Team memberships include a scheduled cooling tune-up each year, which is one way to make sure the system gets looked at before the heat arrives.

If your air conditioner is falling behind this summer, Allied's heating and air team can send a technician out to inspect it. Call (479) 278-4508.