Summertime in The Heartland is H-O-T! Our hottest months are July and August with daytime temperatures averaging in the low-mid nineties. Mix those high temperatures with humidity and you’ve got a recipe for a sweltering summer.
Anytime you step outside in the summertime here in the Greater Kansas City Area you’ll likely feel the humidity instantly. Whether your clothes cling to you or your car seats are almost too hot to sit on, we’re all affected by the intense summer temperatures. The odds are your HVAC system is running almost nonstop from June through late August, increasing your energy bills.
It can get pricey running your air conditioning nearly all day long for a couple of months out of the year, but luckily there are some things you can do to keep those costs a little lower. Keep reading for some tips to keep your home and your family cooler this summer!
Block the Heat
If you’re like most people then you lower the blinds in your home at nighttime for some privacy and open them in the morning to let the sunlight in. Did you know that blinds and shades offer more protection than security? If you lower your blinds in the late morning and leave them closed until the early evening then your home will be much cooler! Take it a step further – invest in some blackout curtains that can block out even more heat. Bonus? They’ll keep your home warmer in the winter and they’ll give your room a cozy, cool ambiance for sleeping.
Keep Windows Open at Night
When springtime first arrives most people open their windows during the day to let the cool, crisp air in to freshen up their homes. While it’s next to impossible to do that during the summer months here in The Heartland, you can get away with keeping your windows open overnight. With average overnight temperatures fluctuating between the lower 60s and the lower 70s for June, July, and August, it’s the perfect opportunity to sleep with your windows open. Just be sure to switch off your air conditioning to make sure the fan doesn’t run while the cool outside breeze flows into your home.
Use Your Grill More
Most homeowners cook indoors, especially on weeknights when our schedules are jampacked, but did you know that turning on the oven and the stove can heat things up in your home? Every time you turn on the oven, open the oven door or use the stovetop, the temperature inside your home will increase. The solution? Grill outside more often! While it’s more convenient to cook indoors, your home will be much cooler as a result of grilling outdoors. Try meal planning in a way that allows for 2-4 meals a week to be grilled rather than using the oven or the stovetop.
We live in the Greater Kansas City Area which means the threat of severe weather and bouts of heavy rain is very possible during the summer months, making it impossible to grill outdoors every night. If you must cook indoors, follow these tips to keep your home cooler when the oven and stovetop are on:
- Don’t preheat too far in advance
- Select the right size pan for the burner you’re using so less heat can escape
- Try not to open the oven often
Keep Ceiling Fans On Counter-Clockwise
Ceiling fans exist to move stagnant air around a room. While they don’t decrease the temperature in a room they can make a room feel cooler. Take advantage of your ceiling fans by running them during the hot summer months, especially while you sleep. Furthermore, make sure you have them set to run counterclockwise rather than clockwise. When the blades spin counterclockwise, the air being circulated is pushed down, making you feel cooler.
While it sounds like it’ll add quite a bit to your monthly energy bills, running a ceiling fan as opposed to running an air conditioner can use less than ⅓ of the energy it takes to run an air conditioner. If you opt to run your ceiling fans for a long period of time then feel free to turn your thermostat up a few degrees to see a noticeable difference in your energy bill.
Use Cotton Sheets
We’ve all heard that cotton is the best fabric to wear when it’s hot outside, so why not take that knowledge and apply it to your bedding? Selecting cotton sheets versus polyester will keep you cooler overnight since cotton is a breathable fabric and allows air to enter. If you find that you still sweat overnight with cotton sheets, rest easy knowing that your cotton sheets will absorb the moisture rather than repel it when you do sweat. Fabrics like polyester and rayon repel moisture, and if you’re sleeping on these sweat-resistant fabrics then your skin could become irritated if it’s left to sit in moisture.
We hope you find these cool tips helpful and apply them this summer when the Kansas City heat is sweltering. By keeping your blinds lowered during the heat of the day, opting to grill outdoors, keeping windows open at night, and running your ceiling fans counterclockwise, your home should be noticeably cooler.
While a new gutter system won’t keep your home cooler, the K-Guard Leaf Free Gutter System will keep your home drier, resulting in less moisture that’s allowed to creep into your attic. Moisture in your attic heats things and makes the air overall musty. In addition, the K-Guard Gutter System resists buckling, something that can occur with other gutter systems during the extreme summer heat. Our gutter system is so durable that it’s guaranteed transferable for the life of the home so it’ll never show signs of wear and tear due to the elements throughout the years.
Want to learn more about the K-Guard Gutter System or have questions? Contact us today or request pricing for your project. We offer free in-home estimates that include a detailed analysis of your current gutter system along with estimated costs for installing your K-Guard Clog Free Gutter System. K-Guard proudly offers our gutter installation service to homeowners across both Missouri and Kansas including, but not limited to, the following locations:
All of us at K-Guard hope you keep cool this summer!
