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

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.