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
4.49 Average 1490 Reviews
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.
Anonymous
Easy to install, and instantly stopped drafts and dampened outside noises very effectively!
Robert C
The process could've been smoother with the sending of the measuring kit. There was a delay with weather in Oregon but then it felt like my kit was still delayed due to other reasons. Most new homes (like mine) have textured paint and it can also be inside your window frames. I measured everything out but I still have little tiny gaps due to the texturing. Not indows problem but just be aware you made need to sand or fill in those gaps yourself to get a perfect seal. I did the acoustic grade inserts and they have reduced some noise but they will not completely block or significantly reduce road noise. This is most apparent with deep or lower frequencies like truck exhausts or modified street racing cars that are quite popular these days. Taking the inserts out to open your windows isn't an easy task. The little metal hook they provide needs to be either bigger or you can attach something to it as a way to leverage yourself. Overall the process was average. I think they're definitely a good option for weatherproofing and some sound reduction depending on the type of windows you have. I would purchase again.
Shelley C
The process for ordering and installing the Indow Widnow inserts was so easy. They sent the measuring information and it had great instructions. The inserts were delivered by UPS was crushed on one corner, but the company had packed them well, so there was no damage. We installed them the same day. It works best if you have two people completing the installation. We felt the results immediately and are glad we spent the money to make our home just a little more efficient.
Barry B
The insert fits like a glove and insulates the window! No more frost and condensation on the interior of the window! Thank you for an easy, effective and attractive fix!
Susan A
The support during the entire process was wonderful, thank you so much for the extra quiet space!
Volodymyr R
Very good good quality. Overall very satisfied with this product and service. Thanks
Jane H
Our home was built in 1913 and has beautiful old wavy glass single-paned windows. I’m so glad we were told about Indows and didn’t have to replace the original windows. We live in Canada but had no difficulty placing the order and were very impressed by how accurately the company met its deadlines, including cross border delivery. The Indows inserts blend in perfectly with our home and the existing window frames. You don’t see them unless you’re actually looking for them. But what we did notice was how much warmer the rooms feel the minute the inserts were installed! I can’t speak to any heating bill savings because they just went in this week, but our home feels much, much cozier. Our contractor who took all the measurements and installed the Indows says: “Excellent instructional videos: clear and informative. Very impressed with the design and the product. Overall, the ease of installation is quite impressive. Working with all the staff at the company was great – everyone was very helpful.” I’m already recommending this company to any of my friends who live in drafty older homes and want to reduce their heating/cooling bills and do some good for the environment.
Anonymous
Don't be afraid of buying an older home with single pane windows. This company has you covered. Their inserts are super high quality and fit well thanks to the laser measuring kit they send. Highly recommended!
Katie M
We purchased three Indows to reduce drafts and noise in our bedroom, which faces the street. The improvement was immediate. Our house was built in 1958 and although we have exterior storm windows we didn't want to replace the windows outright due to cost and architectural consistency. These were an excellent solution.
Matthew L
Indow inserts were easy to measure, order and install. They've provided great insulation for old single-pane and stained glass windows in an antique home. We can significantly feel how much better the home holds heat.
Ellis W
I ordered two Indow inserts for my home. They are doing a great job, entirely happy with them and the ordering process.
Elizabeth W
I can't say enough good things about this product and company. Our house is 101 years old and the sidelites next to our front door are single pane ancient wavy glass which means when it gets very cold (Chicago temps) we can have an inch of frost covering the INSIDE of our windows. I was desperately searching for a solution so our front vestibule was not so cold and a friend recommended Indow. The process could not have been simpler and the temperature difference it has made is off the charts.
Austin T
I have several historic single pane gridwork mullion windows. They're beautiful but have almost no thermal protection. Indows proved to be the perfect solution to preserve these windows while getting the thermal comfort we need. They were easy to install and work perfectly!