While it’s true that cooling an apartment is generally less financially strenuous than cooling a house, this isn’t to say that it’s cheap. For example, if you live in a pricier part of the country, keeping an apartment consistently cool is liable to add quite a bit to your monthly utility costs. Although some landlords don’t charge renters extra for utilities, a fair number of them do, particularly in major metropolitan areas. Apartment residents looking to keep their homes nice and cool without incurring exorbitant utility bills should take the following pointers to heart. Most Effective Ways to Keep an Apartment Comfortably Cool-
Put Ceiling Fans to Good Use
Whether your apartment lacks air conditioning or you’re simply looking to maximize the effects of your A/C, dependable ceiling fans can do you a world of good. Running these fans can help ensure that the cool air produced by your air conditioning is evenly distributed throughout the entire apartment, which can relieve the A/C of some of its burden and reduce the amount of energy it puts forth. Conversely, if your unit doesn’t have A/C, you can give your ceiling fans the ability to produce downward-flowing cool breezes by adjusting their blades to spin counterclockwise.
If your current ceiling fans have seen better days, talk to your landlord about having them replaced. Depending on the terms of your lease, they may be obligated to do so. Many landlords won’t hesitate to rent out units with older appliances, and if tenants don’t speak up, they’re unlikely to realize this is a problem. On the flipside, if you own your unit, the task of replacing outdated or defective fans will fall to you. Fortunately, high-quality ceiling fans are affordable on even the tightest budget. For example, if you’re currently shopping for ceiling fans with lights, you’ll be able to find a bevy of budget-friendly options.
Taking Advantage of Cooldowns
Dependable ceiling fans can also help you take advantage of cooldowns. For instance, if the temperatures in your area tend to drop overnight, why not open some windows and allow your ceiling fans to do the heavy lifting? The right fans will be able to evenly and efficiently circulate naturally cool air throughout your apartment, ensuring that you’re able to spend your nights in absolute comfort. This is one of the many reasons it pays to have a high-quality ceiling fan in every area of your unit.
Keep Drapery Closed During the Day
Unbeknownst to many people, sunlight can increase the temperature of living spaces by quite a bit – particularly during periods of extended warmth.
Although the sun can serve as a convenient source of natural light, keeping curtains, blinds, and assorted drapery closed during daylight hours can have a positive impact on your cooling efforts. You can opt for back door window blinds for better control of light and heat that enter your room.
If you’re extra-serious about keeping the sun at bay, consider investing in thermal curtains. True to their name, these curtains are composed of thick thermal materials that help seal in indoor air and minimize the amount of outdoor air that finds its way inside.
Additionally, if you own your unit, upgrading to energy-efficient windows may prove worth your while. Since these windows are multi-paned, they make it very difficult for indoor air to escape and outdoor air to enter your apartment.
Don’t Use Your Oven During the Day
The smaller the living space, the more of an effect oven use is liable to have on the temperature. You can nip this in the bud by abstaining from oven use during daylight hours – or, if this isn’t feasible, using your oven very sparingly when the sun is out. While this may seem like a punishment to some, it’s better viewed as an opportunity to experiment with health-conscious oven-free recipes.
Apartment life holds a number of cost-effective advantages over homeownership. For one thing, smaller living spaces are generally easier to maintain and more affordable. Furthermore, whenever there’s an issue with the property, you won’t find yourself on the hook for costly repairs. Still, if utilities aren’t included in your rent, periods of extreme weather can prove financially burdensome. Luckily, keeping an apartments near Hampton nice and cool doesn’t have to entail putting a hole in your savings.
The pointers discussed above can help renters maintain comfortably cool apartments without breaking the bank.
