Why is My House So Hot?
Do you find yourself asking, “Why is my house so hot?” every year as summer hits? Your house may be letting in heat in ways you don’t even realize. If you want energy efficient alternatives to air conditioning, you need to stop heat before it reaches the inside of your home.
The “Why is My House so Hot?” Check List
Have you added?
- Thermal insulation.
- Patches for Air Leakage.
- Window Treatments.
- A White Roof.
- Plant Trees on South Side of Home.
- Alleviate House Humidity.
Figure out exactly why your home is hot and use some simple solutions to cool it down. This will help you find some comfort and save money. Let’s dig into the details of these issues and how to solve them.
Tips on Keeping Your House Cool in the Summer
Keeping your house cool in the summer is easiest if you stop heat from coming inside in the first place. If you block heat with insulation and air sealing, you don’t have to worry about heat trapping – your home will stay cooler than outside.
Use these techniques to block heat from windows, walls, and roof and you’ll find yourself using your a/c less and less.
Thermal Insulation Protects from Heat
Many older homes have poor insulation, allowing heat to get into your air-conditioned home.
Thermal insulation is most often used to keep a home warm during the winter, but it works for the summer months too. Insulating your home protects the inside of your house against outside temperatures, no matter what they are, making it easier to control inside temperatures.
Add insulation to slow the transfer of heat so your home stays cooler longer. Think about a nice cool beer on a hot day. If you put a koozie on it, it will stay cooler for much longer.
Fix Air Leakage to Cool Your Home
Check for leaks. If your windows have bad air sealing, they are letting hot air in and a/c out.
Small holes and cracks let hot air into your home just like they let cold air in during the winter. These holes can be in windows, around pipes, light fixtures, anywhere there’s a connection of materials or something entering or exiting your house.
Fix small leaks with caulk and use a foam sealant to fix larger gaps. Make sure to cover fans and always use proper ventilation and face masks.
Ways to Block Heat from Windows
How much light is coming through your windows? Are they south-facing?
Windows let in a huge amount of heat because they are your home’s main source of natural light. Anywhere the sun’s light goes, so goes heat. You can add many kinds of window treatments to block heat from windows, but most of them will also block light. Heavy curtains and blackout window shades reduce heat and reduce light. These do not trap heat because the heat source it coming from outside of the house.
Energy saving window inserts block window heat without blocking natural light. Heat blocking window inserts can bring temperatures in an attic down 16 degrees while still providing a view.
These can be added to the whole house or just one room if you’re finding one room much hotter than the rest of the home.
Add a White Roof to Your Home
What color is your roof? Dark colors absorb heat where light colors reflect it.
Adding a white roof to your home helps reflect heat right where it’s beating down on it. You can add white paint, solar reflective asphalt shingles or clay, or concrete or fiber cement tiles. Any of these will give you energy efficient alternatives to air conditioning and extend the life of your roof.
Read more about the benefits of adding a white roof to your home.
Remove the Humidity
Humidity changes our perception of heat. If your home has extra moisture, it will add to the hot feeling and stick to you.
So, why is your house so humid? Your a/c unit could be too big. If your is cooled too quickly, the a/c can’t do its other job: dehumidifying your home. It needs time to do this second job, but if your unit is too big, it will turn off before it’s done.
You can get a new a/c unit that fits your home, or you can get a separate dehumidifier. You can also address this issue with other small changes. Reduce moisture inside by: ventilating while cooking, taking cooler, shorter showers, drying your clothes outside, and moving your houseplants outside for the summer.
Never Say, “Why is my room so hot?” Again
Once you’ve done all (or even a few) of these items, you won’t be asking yourself “Why is my room so hot?” anymore. You’ll be using energy efficient alternatives to air conditioning, and saving a lot of money on your energy bill.
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Customer Reviews
Anonymous
WE just took delivery of the two window inserts we ordered. they both fit perfectly. The most difficult part of the process was me trying to hold the laser measuring device still while taking the diaginal measurment! The Indow team was helpful and the ordering process was catch free. the finished product is just as they described. once installed, you can not even tell that they are there. I will warn you, if you have larger sizes they will come in a pretty large packing crate/box to protect them so be prepared. The only reason for 4 stars insted of 5 is they have just been istalled and we shall see how effective they are at reducing cold air, but they fit so snug that I anticipate they will be very effective. Just in time too, because our area is in a low temp/low wind chill pattern at the moment.
Craig F
The Indow I ordered was a perfect fit. It looks great and is an extremely well made product. The ordering process was seamless.
Catherine J
Noise reduction by at least 50%! I cannot hear most car that drives by now. My bedroom is so quiet! Thank you!
Walter M
Easy to order and install.
Dianne F
Window inserts help with sound since I live facing the street and the highway
Dianne
This is a 5 star company from beginning to end. I purchased the I inserts in 2017 because the bedroom on the second story faced the street. These are very effective for street noise. Noticed a problem on one of the windows recently and they quickly took care of it due to their warranty. Customer service personnel are very helpful. The price of the windows was acceptable for top quality of sleep and less noise during the day
Charles C
Recently purchased the acoustic window inserts for a couple of old windows facing a busy street and they've made a huge difference in terms of noise reduction! The measuring process was relatively easy with the laser measuring tool that Indow sent and the windows were delivered faster than expected. Martin was easy to work with and we would highly recommend Indow to those looking for window inserts.
Dean C
Installed noise canceling acrylic Indow window inserts to deal with the road noise at my condo, 4 lane state road is 40 feet from the condo. Expensive custom fit, but oh my gosh, they cut the noise by 75%! Decibel meter app I trust shows a 6 Decibel noise reduction, average Db over 30 minutes. Turns out 6 Db is letting only 25% of noise through! I am one happy camper…
Harry T
The Indow team was great from start to finish! They were very clear about each step. After installing the inserts my home has been significantly while still preserving the fabulous city views. For anyone who lives in a noisy street or city like NYC I would highly recommend it. Leave the chaos outside and come home to piece and quiet.
Paula S
From start to finish, we were very pleased with our rep, Reed, and the other staff at the PDX will call! The inserts themselves are stupendous! We purchased six total for the noisiest, road side(s) of our home. The outcome was beyond our expectations! Not only did the three rooms that bordered the road become at least 70% quieter, the other end of our home did as well! I cannot recommend Indow inserts more! The technology makes sense to add the inserts rather than purchasing new windows. Great results and thank you! Paul and Paula Spilsbury
JD
Brian was very helpful & informative. He helped me order the correct windows for my needs. They were shipped with the utmost of care & arrived ahead of schedule. Ultimately, the Indow Windows have been very helpful in muffling unwanted noises & they have helped save on our energy costs. Thank you, Indow Window!
Cynthia M
Very happy with the reduction in noise. Easy to install and use. Great customer service.
Juli E
We are thrilled with our Indow window inserts! I'd been on the lookout for a more permanent solution to leaky windows in our third floor living space. I discovered Indow on social media but since then have learned of friends who'd had Indow recommended to them by their rennovation contractor. The entire process went smoothly with friendly reps at hand to talk through questions during measuring, etc. They fit perfectly and help us to maintain the beautiful design of the windows on our 100 year old home! Highly recommend!!
Jen F
Worth the money!
Elizabeth H
For townhouse living, this solved my problem with noise from my neighbor's with my kitchen window. A considerable decrease of noise indeed! Measurements were a bit frustrating so I recommend using a laser measurement device and following directions to use a string for the diagonal. They look great and were easy to push into place. I highly recommend as an alternative to buying a new window.