You know that staying cool during warm Canadian summers can get costly if you’re relying on portable air conditioning units or central AC. There are some other ways that you can cool down over the summer months without seeing a spike in your utility bill.
Install a retractable screen door.
Retractable screen doors are a space-saving option that are less costly to install than traditional sliding doors. They are also more versatile because they can be installed to any exterior door, not just a sliding patio door. The north side of a house stays cooler in the summer, so installing a retractable screen door will allow you to capitalize if you have a door facing north.
If possible, consider installing two security screen doors on opposite ends of the house. This allows for a draft to sweep through the home, moving warm air without needing to run a fan.
Because security screens, like those from Screen Savers Plus, are more secure than typical screen doors, you can also feel confident about leaving the door open during the night to take advantage of the cool night air without compromising on safety.
Keep your curtains closed.
During cool mornings and evenings, you’ll want your windows and doors open to invite cool air into the house, but when the hot afternoon comes, you want to keep the cool air you brought in to stay cool as long as possible. The best way to do this is to make sure that you have curtains or blinds that are effective at blocking the sun from shining in — especially through south or west-facing windows. Close the curtains, windows, and screens during the warmest parts of the day to trap cool air inside.
Take advantage of cool basements.
You might feel like retreating to the basement when it is warm outside, but all your main living spaces are upstairs. Instead, keep a south-facing window open upstairs, and open all the windows in the basement. Set a fan at the base of the stairs and blow some of the cooler air upstairs, where it will draft out of the open window. The basement will naturally cool the air that you pull into the house, and keeping the upstairs window open will help pull the colder air up the stairs, allowing warmer air to continuously escape up and out through the open window.
With help from retractable screen doors, some curtains, and a cold basement, you can cool your house naturally during the warmest days of the year, without ever needing to spend a ton on air-conditioning.
