This summer keeping your home cool is no simple task. It can be both exhausting and expensive. However, there are some tips and tricks you and your family can implement that might help beat the heat and an expensive bill.

In regard to fans:
If your home has rooms with their own ceiling fans, check out each one. They should each have a switch which allows you to change the direction of air flow. Their settings should be changed every winter and summer. In the summer, set your fan so that air flow is aimed downward. It is a common thought that fans can be counterproductive because they just create more heat and cost more to run. This isn’t entirely true. MSN Real Estate has reported that, “Even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel three or four degrees cooler.” So fans, as we see it, are still in!

While on the topic of fans–try looking into a whole house fan. “Attics trap fierce amounts of heat; a well-placed and -sized whole-house fan pulls air through open windows on the bottom floors and exhausts it through the roof, lowering the inside temperature and reducing energy use by as much as third compared with an air conditioner. Cost is between $150 and $400. An evaporative cooler pulls air over pads soaked in cold water and uses a quarter the energy of refrigerated air, but they’re useful only in low-humidity areas. Cost is $200 to $600.” (MSN Real Estate)

Moreover, if air conditioning just isn’t your thing, we understand. There are a couple more things you can do to try and cool your home. Try keeping all shades, blinds, curtains, drapes, etc., closed throughout the day. While you may unfortunately miss seeing the beauty of the sun’s shine, you will certainly be happy to know that your home will be significantly cooler than if you had left all the windows exposed.

In regard to air conditioning systems:
Break the old impression you had that air cooling system areas had to be clear of all things. It has actually been reported, (MSN Real Estate), that planting shrubbery and other greenery that can block the sun from your unit actually can save you energy. It prohibits the sun from beating down on the machine which can also prevent it from over heating. This would consequently cost more dinero to repair.

Use the thermostat wisely. Pick a temperature that suits your family best and keep it there! Fluctuating the temperatures can become counterproductive and costly. Also, set a schedule. Don’t keep your system running all day, especially when you aren’t home!

We hope these tips have been useful let us know in the comment section below if they worked for you! For more information or more on the article used in this post visit MSN Real Estate.