Summer heat is miserable in Georgia! It is too hot. It is too humid. Heat and humidity together it is unbearable. So what are some tips to try to keep cool?
Keep your home air tight. Check for leaks in window and door seals. Other places cooler air can escape include vents (attic, air system and dryer) and your chimney. While some air does need to flow through these, they allow cooler air to escape making your AC work harder and cost more to maintain your ideal temperature indoors.
Keep the sun outside. Close your blinds, drapes or other shades over your windows. Use natural shading in terms of trees or shrubbery to help keep the sun off your home. Sunshine heats the structure throughout the day which can make the interior warm even into the evening when the sun is no longer shining on it.
Use fans to circulate air indoors. This is a twofold benefit. First, it helps get the cool air throughout the home making the temperature more even in all living areas. Second, it feels cooler than still air even if it really is the same temperature because the circulation helps pull your own body heat away from you.
Plan all chores that require heat (cooking, drying clothes, etc.) for either early morning or evening so your AC is not fighting heat sources from within at the same time as peak heat outside.
The most dangerous summer heat is from fires. Summer fires are most commonly cooking fires. These include indoor cooking as well as outdoor cooking. Do not leave anything unattended on the stove, grill or a fire pit.
While people can relate to furnace fires in the winter, many people are caught off guard by AC fires which can occur just as easily. This is the best reason to perform your annual maintenance in the spring with having the unit just fail to cool your home a close second. Central air is less likely to cause a fire than portable AC units such as window or wall units. This is because portable units have less adequate wiring so do not overload them and do not forget them when in use.
The final fire risk in the summer comes from the attic. This area can be made extremely hot which can cause electrical fires from melted wiring and fires from weather such as lightning strikes.
Whenever fire strikes, ServiceMaster stands ready to help. Call us for your fire damage restoration.
