With more than 220 days of sunshine each year, South Texas is a great place to call home, but there’s no denying that our subtropical climate poses challenges when it comes to staying cool and comfortable indoors. Everything from air leaks to sunny windows can provide an entry point for outdoor heat, forcing your air conditioner to work overtime to cool your home. Here are three effective ways to stop heat transfer in its tracks.
Start with Sealing
Any gap, crack or leak in your windows or home’s exterior walls allows hot air to infiltrate your air-conditioned home. Take a tour of your home with an eye on the exterior walls to and seal any air leaks you find with caulk or a can of spray-foam sealant. Pay special attention to gaps around openings for plumbing, gas, phone, and cable lines. Install weatherstripping on drafty windows and doors to help to keep that valuable cool air inside.
Plant Shade Trees
When you live in South Texas, much of the heat gain in your home comes from solar radiation. Shading windows and walls from the sun with well-positioned trees can lower ambient temperatures by as much as 6 percent. You can save a lot of money too. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that strategically planted trees can reduce your energy consumption by up to 25 percent.
Add Attic Insulation
Solar radiation bakes your roof throughout the long warm-weather season, but the heat transfer into your attic actually occurs by conduction. Just as a cup warms your hand when it’s filled with hot coffee, conduction moves heat through materials. In the attic, conductive heat can push the temperature over 150 degrees. Adding attic insulation slows the conductive flow of heat so that it doesn’t move easily into your living spaces.
As your local home comfort experts, Woods Comfort systems offers an array of products and services designed to keep you cool when temperatures rise. For additional tips and information, call us to hear more about our cooling solutions. Call 512-842-5066 today to speak with a member of our qualified team.
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