side: Smart ways to keep your house cool

Minimise your cooling costs as you beat the summer heat with these simple tips

Pooja Khanna Tyagi

As the mercury rises during the peak summer months, here are some proactive steps that can be taken to prevent indoor heat gain within the home and reduce the usage of air conditioners, thereby ensuring good savings on electricity bills.

Cross ventilate

Open the windows and cross ventilate the house in the morning to allow a free flow of cool air. This process will reduce the indoor temperature so there will be no need to switch on the AC during the early hours of the day.

Use drapes to cover windows

Since maximum amount of heat enters through the windows, close the windows during the warmest hours of the day. Pull down the blinds or draw the curtains to prevent indoor heat gain and go for light coloured drapes that reflect heat.

Keep the roof cool

Heat gain can be reduced within the highest floor of the building by painting the terrace with reflective cool roof paint or white lime wash. Alternately, one can keep the upper floors cooler by creating a shaded area on the roof or by designing a rooftop garden with grass and potted plants.

Grow outdoor trees and indoor plants

Plant leafy deciduous trees around the home because they provide ample shade in summer and allow maximum sunshine in winter. It will be useful in lowering cooling costs in the long run. Keep the interiors naturally cooler with indoor plants like peace lily, Boston fern andareca palm because these species of plants release moisture to cool and humidify the surrounding air.

Upgrade to an energy efficient AC

Go for energy efficient air conditioners with 5-star or 4-star ratings as they consume less power. One can also considersplit ACs with inverter technology which adjust the power consumption of the compressor when in use.

Service the existing AC’s

Get the air conditioners serviced annually so that the technician cleans the outdoor coils, the filters and check the level of the refrigerant. This will improve the energy efficiency and performance of the air conditioner.

Use ceiling fans for air circulation

When the ACs are in use, switch on the ceiling fans so that they can circulate cool air within the room and reduce cooling load on the AC.

Clean the filters regularly

Wash the AC filters regularly as a lot of dust gets accumulated to clog the filters and the AC uses more power to cool the space.

Seal the door and window frames

If there are large gaps or cracks around the doors and windows, then seal the gaps with caulk and use weather stripping to prevent leakage of indoor cool air and the entry of outdoor hot air.

Remove heavy carpets

Bare the floor by removing heavy carpets as theyhave the tendency to retain heat. Use soothing colours for the upholstery and other fabrics as they reflect heat.