Tips to Keep Your Home Cool During an Arizona Summer
During the summer months, it is not uncommon for the average temperature in Phoenix to exceed 99 degrees Fahrenheit! That means your home’s air conditioning system is working hard around the clock to keep your home comfortable. However, there are some steps you can take to keep your home cool during the sweltering months of summer that don’t involve cranking the thermostat down!
Create Shade Around Your Home
You can use landscaping to your advantage to reduce the amount of sun that reaches your home in the first place. Specifically, having larger shrubs or trees around your home’s east- and west-facing windows can create some much-needed shade that will keep your home a little cooler during the hottest times of the day.
If you don’t have any significant landscaping around your home’s perimeter, now is a good time to consider working with a landscaping professional to minimize sun exposure in your home and add some curb appeal in the process!
Use Ceiling Fans to Your Advantage
Ceiling fans can be a great (and energy-efficient) way to keep each room of your home a few degrees cooler without having to adjust your thermostat. Make sure you’re using any existing ceiling fans in your home to keep air circulating. If you don’t have ceiling fans in your home (or if they’re missing from your main living spaces), having one installed is relatively simple and inexpensive. In fact, any money you spend having ceiling fans installed can be offset by energy savings down the road!
Invest in Window Treatments
Just as you can use strategically placed landscaping to cut down on sunlight entering your home, you can use window treatments in a similar manner. Specifically, you’ll want to make sure that any east- and west-facing rooms in your home (which will naturally receive the most sunlight) have light-blocking window treatments. This can include blinds, drapes, curtains, or even full blackout panels.
During the brightest times of day in these rooms, be sure to draw these window treatments closed. This will reduce the amount of sunlight that enters the room and thus keep the temperature down in your home. And of course, the right window treatments can also add some beauty to your space!
Reduce Your Use of Heat-Generating Appliances
You might be surprised at just how much heat clothes dryers, ovens, and even dishwashers can put off as they operate. With this in mind, you may want to avoid using these appliances during the heat of the day whenever possible. If you have to run a load of dishes or dry a load of laundry, try to do so during the evening or nighttime hours instead.
You can also cut down on your use of these heat-generating appliances by making sure that your dishwasher is completely full before you run it. Likewise, avoid doing laundry until you have a full load of clothes to wash. This will not only keep your home more comfortable during the summer months, but will cut down on the wear and tear of these appliances as well.
Maintain Your Air Conditioner
The last thing you need in the middle of a sweltering Arizona summer is to run into mechanical problems with your air conditioning unit. This is why it’s so important to take care of all components of your AC system year-round! There are plenty of steps you can take to maintain your AC system, starting with swapping out the air filter as needed. Typically, filters should be changed about once every 90 days to ensure proper airflow and maximize the efficiency of your unit. When was the last time you changed yours?
You’ll also want to take measures to protect your outdoor AC compressor unit from the elements. This includes keeping any landscaping (shrubs, plants, weeds, etc.) trimmed back and away from the unit itself to allow for proper airflow.
In addition to all of this, scheduling an annual air conditioning tune-up and inspection with a trusted HVAC professional can also extend the life of your unit and help you avoid unwanted surprises this summer. An annual inspection can alert you to potential problems that you can repair before they turn into more costly issues. Meanwhile, a tune-up can keep your air conditioning running smoothly all summer long.
Schedule Your AC Service Today!
A little creativity can go a long way towards keeping your Arizona home cool this summer. By following these tips, you can give your air conditioner a much-needed break without sacrificing comfort in the process.
Looking for an HVAC company you can trust with your annual AC inspection and tune-up? One Stop Heating & Cooling has you covered! Contact us today at (623) 688-6556 to schedule your inspection or to find out more about our residential services.