Use these hot tips to help keep your home cool, this summer! Whether you don’t have AC, your AC is broken, or if you are just looking to save a little more on your hydro bill by keeping it off, there are ways to help keep the temperature regulated in your home, even on those extra hot summer days.

Today it is supposed to get up to a scorching 32 degrees Celsius here in southern Ontario… And its only May!

This leads me to predict that it is going to be one long, hot summer… Followed up by lots of snow this winter for snowmobile season, of course! (Pleeeease!!!!!)

However we’ve got to survive the summer first, in order to get to the winter, so I’ve come up with the best tips for beating the heat inside your home, without air conditioning!

Tip One: Blinds and Curtains

Ever wonder why a blind or curtain is called a “Shade“?! Well, its because they actually block out the sun and provide shade! (Imagine that… A name that actually makes sense!)

This one may sound obvious, but it is so true!

By closing all of the blinds and curtains first thing in the morning, the heat from the sun will have a little more trouble making its way inside the home. This therefore, will significantly help to stop the inner air from heating up.

Tip Two: Windows Opened and Closed

This tip is important if you truly want to keep the temperature properly regulated in your home, during those hot summer days…

Every night, as soon as the sun goes down, run around your house and get all of those windows opened up as wide as they will go!

Remember that heat always transfers to that of a lesser temperature… This means that opening all of your windows up at night, will allow the hot air of your home to escape out into the night air.

Based on the second law of thermodynamics, the hot air inside your home will keep transferring out all night, until the air temperature within your home is equal to the nice cool night air temperature… Pretty cool, right?! ;D

Then, first thing in the morning, maybe even before the sun rises, (if you can get up that early!), run back around your home and close up all of the windows. This is going to trap the cool air inside your home.

Tip Three: Keep Fans Turned On

I like to keep all of the cool air that I have just trapped inside of my home circulating. (See tip two, if you don’t know what I’m talking about!)

I do this by turning on any fans that I own, inside my home.

This just kind of keeps everything moving, and helps prevent the air from going stale.

Just remember that if you own and are using Ceiling Fans, make sure that they are spinning in the proper direction. (Learn more about ceiling fan direction, here!)

Tip Four: Keep Lights, Stove, and Oven Off

Though your house may be a little on the dark side from having all of your curtains closed, try and refrain from turning on your lights. Even though they make really efficient light bulbs these days, every little bit of heat/energy conservation counts! Especially, when you are trying to keep a whole house cool!

When it comes to cooking meals, try your hardest not to turn on your oven or stove! Try eating cold meals, or cooking out on the BBQ!

As an added bonus, after cooking outside in the boiling heat on the BBQ, your home is going to feel so much cooler when you get back inside! ;D

Tip Five: Shady Trees

The best time to plant a tree is about twenty years ago.

So this is maybe something that you can’t change over night… But something that you could keep in mind when you are looking to purchase your home.

Or even something that you could do tonight, that would surely pay off in the future!

Big shady trees planted next to your home, like curtains, will also help to block the sunlight and provide shade!

They will also have an added bonus during the colder months… They will help to block wind and blowing snow!

Tip Six: Cool Paint Colors

Believe it or not… Painting the interior of you home in colors of a cooler tone will really help to keep temperature down in your home

Our whole main floor is painted in cool greenish-blue and grey colors, and as long as we follow the rest of the tips on this list, it stays really, really cool during the summer months!

I hope that you find these tips helpful, and be sure to give them a try! They really, really do help!

Do you have any special tips or tricks that you use to help keep your home cool during the summer?! If so, I’d love to hear about them and give them a try, myself… So don’t forget to drop me a line in the comments below!