Summer is finally here, and we all want to make the most out of it. The sun is merciless, the heat is unforgiving, and you want your home to serve you as an Oasis. You want to stay in a place where you can relax and enjoy the summer while still not being a potential heatstroke victim. Well, lucky for you, we wrote up this little article to help you out. Below you can find some tips on how to keep your home cool in many other ways, not just by cranking up the AC unit. Read on to find out how.

Think about your roof

The first thing you should do is rather simple and easy. Namely, we suggest you paint your roof. As you may or may not know, ice and snow reflect UV rays, while dark colors (black, namely) absorb heat. A great way to reflect the heat and to stay cool is by painting your roof white (or in any light color). This will reflect some of the heat, thereby reducing energy costs, and just making the entire place warm up slower.

However, you have other options at your disposal as well. Namely, you can also cover your roof with UV resistant coatings. You may even change it up completely, getting a new roof, or having it constructed from different materials. For example, you can switch from a concrete roof to heat-resistant clay tiles (if you can afford it, of course).

Go green

Another option is using vegetation to keep your home cool. First, just planting (and waiting) or relocating trees into your backyard can provide you with a natural cover that can protect you from the Sun. Just remember to plant them in a way that gives you some shade. Shade acquired from a tree means you are not only cooling your home naturally, but you are also saving up on energy costs, and actually making the world greener.

Vines are a gorgeous aesthetic benefit and improvement for your home. However, they have other advantages besides looking nice. Namely, vines serve as natural insulation, keeping your home cooler. Another benefit is that plants like Virginia creeper, ivy, Russian vine grow very quickly, so you can expect results quite quickly as well. The problem here is that they can damage your home. They can dig out a mortar and even make wood deteriorate. For this reason, they need to be set up and maintained by professionals.

Non-AC equipment works wonders

Next, understand that you don’t really need an AC to cool you down. Things, like getting ceiling fans or fixing up your windows, can do wonders. On the other hand, when you’re outside, sometimes all you need is a good cover or umbrella.

Furthermore, we suggest you contact a good contractor and let them inspect your windows. Any small opening or hole can lead to temperature fluctuations. During the winter time, cold air will get into your home, and hot air will escape. The opposite obviously happens during the summer. Get a good contractor to inspect them and fix them up. Window awnings and blinds, for example, can also give you some extra control over how much sunlight enters your home. We suggest you contact a good company, like Shade Solutions QLD for example, and get them to set it all up.

Understand that it’s the little things that matter. Installing good blinds and operable shutters will help you from getting the Sun to enter your home in the first place. Exterior blinds save the actual walls and glass from heating up as well.

Watch your kitchen and appliances

Understand that your appliances let off heat. Whether it’s your fridge, your TV, or your computer, they all warm up when you use them. So try to minimize their usage as much as you can, and never leave them on longer than you have to. 

You should pay special attention to the kitchen. Namely, the oven and stovetops don’t just focus all their heat at your kitchenware (unless they’re all specialised). They release some extra heat around your home as well. And of course, the steam that comes from pots and pans also lead to an increase in heat.

Conclusion

And there you have it folks, a couple of tips on making your home a summer shade paradise. No need to run your AC into the ground, there are many other ways you can stay cool during the summer heat. Take care of how you use your appliances, try to go green, fix up your roof, and in general don’t rely on your AC.

Author Bio: Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home, design and lifestyle. He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader. Follow Liam on Twitter and Linkedin.