Today, Americans spend about 93% of their lives indoors. Add in the COVID-19 pandemic, plus its lockdowns and quarantines, and you can bet we’re spending even more time huddled in our houses!
They say our homes are our castles, but they’re not very comfortable ones if you’re either sweating through your clothes or shivering like crazy. Every minute can feel like an hour when you’re miserable.
But regulating your home temperature isn’t hard to do at all! Here are 6 ways you can keep your house temperature regulated so you don’t feel too hot or too cold.
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1. Use Air Conditioning
One of the most obvious things you should do in the summer is to crank up the air conditioning when it gets hot. It can provide instant relief from the blazing sun and its brutal rays.
Ideally, you’d like to have the AC on 24/7 so you never break a sweat. But with most household budgets, this would be unfeasible or at least very financially unwise.
Thankfully, most (if not all) of today’s thermostats are programmable. Program it to be 78 degrees F if you’re in the house and raise it to 88 when you’re not home. These are comfortable temperatures that won’t have you too hot but won’t run up the bill too much either.
2. Draw the Curtains
What if you want to save even more money on your utility bills? What if your AC unit is broken, or worse yet, you don’t have one at all?
A great tip to follow then is to draw your curtains. This will keep the sun’s rays from getting into your rooms and heating them up. As a result, your house won’t feel like an oven or greenhouse.
The one drawback to this is that you won’t get to enjoy gorgeous natural light. A simple solution to this is to use lighter-colored curtains so natural light can still pass through while blocking the heat.
What’s great is this temperature regulation tip works in the wintertime as well. When you have heavy curtains drawn, this retains heat in rooms better.
3. Open Your Windows and Doors
Have you ever spent hot summer days feeling the gross stagnant and warm air inside? It’s the worse feeling ever!
To combat this, you should open up all the doors and windows to get some cool fresh air inside. Of course, the exception is if you live somewhere that gets hot air like the Santa Ana winds. In that case, you’ll want to keep your windows closed.
Also, if you’re running the AC, you’ll want to modify this air regulation strategy. You’ll want to keep your windows closed but you should open your room doors to get the cool air flowing. If you’re not using any rooms, keep those doors closed to cut down on your electricity bill.
4. Use Fans
Another great tip to regulate your home temperature is to turn on your fans. Whether they’re big indoor fans on the ceiling or floor, these will help to circulate the air and help you cool off.
If you’re worried about energy efficiency, these use much less energy than the AC does.
Combine fans with open windows during the summer with floor fans. You need to place them strategically to enjoy the most benefits.
First, you should point the fan directly at you if possible. You’ll get a cooling sensation if your sweat evaporates, and fans can help with exactly that.
Also, if you can, put the fan in the open window with it pointing inwards. This allows you to still feel the artificial breeze and any heat it generates from operation will be drawn outside instead of circulating in your room.
Do note that to get the maximum effects from your ceiling fans, you have to run them in the right direction. In the summer, run them counterclockwise. This creates a downdraft so the people in the room feel a nice breeze.
On the other hand, you’ll want to run the ceiling fans clockwise in the winter. An updraft will result and it’ll help to circulate warm air to make you feel cozier.
5. Upgrade Your Home’s Insulation
Your home’s insulation is extremely important in temperature regulation. You can follow all the tips you’d like, but without proper insulation, it’ll be a waste.
Take some time to thoroughly inspect your house and see if there are any areas that aren’t airtight. Get the right professionals to fix these issues.
This is a worthwhile investment because not only will proper insulation keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter, but it’ll also lower your utility bills significantly since you won’t have to put in as much effort to regulate the temperature.
6. Add Some Houseplants
We all know that houseplants can add some greenery to our homes, plus absorb toxins so we have clean air. But did you know they can help your house cool down as well?
So go visit the local nursery and pick out some beautiful houseplants to put around your home. Not only will they perk up your home and clean your air, but they’ll also make summers more tolerable, temperature-wise.
Keep Your Home Temperature Comfortable
After reading this article, you now have several ways to keep your home temperature optimal throughout the year. While you can certainly turn on the HVAC system when it gets hot or cold, there are some other more energy-efficient and cheaper ways to regulate your home’s temperature.
So the next time you start sweating or shivering, give our tips a try. You’ll be glad you did!
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