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4TT SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2015
HOME, LAWN & GARDEN • TRILAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRATGAZETTE
HOW TO
COOLYOUR HOME
WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK
There’s a popular saying in Arkansas: If you don’t like the weather, just wait 10 minutes. Some say an hour. Either way, it’s a testament to how consis- tently inconsistent Mother Nature can be. Despite that, as summer approaches, one thing is sure — it’s going to get hot! So, reducing cooling costs is a priority for many homeowners.
The following are a few ways to cool your home’s in- terior without causing a spike in your energy bill.
➤ Maintain the system. “First and foremost, having your system maintained, getting on a good maintenance program twice a year to do a spring and fall tune up ... that’s big,” said Ron Humphrey, residential operations manager at Middleton Heat & Air in Bryant.
In addition to having the system inspected by a pro- fessional, Humphrey said, it is recommended that home- owners look at their filters at least every 30 days. How- ever, some high-quality filters can go up to three months between checks. “The system works off of air flow, so the coils and everything need to be kept clean at all times,” Humphrey said.
➤ Have ducts checked for leaks. HVAC companies such as Middleton can conduct blower-door tests, which use a system of fans to depressurize a home and show ex- actly where there are leaks in the ductwork. Then, they introduce a nontoxic product called Aeroseal.
“It doesn’t coat your ductwork; it only attacks holes,” Humphrey said. “When we turn the machine on to in- troduce the sealant, you can literally watch that gauge going down, sealing up your ductwork. It’s incredible technology. That’s money that the customer can see that they are saving. It is the hottest thing going right now.”
➤ Reduce sun exposure. Much of the heat inside of a home can be attributed to sunlight exposure through- out the day. Walls and windows on the south and west sides of a home will bear the brunt of the sun’s rays, so close shades and drapes on those sides of the house to maximize coolness. Shades and curtains can save you up to 7 percent on your bills and lower indoor temperatures by up to 20 degrees.
Homeowners may also want to think about installing a retractable awning on areas of the house that get a lot of sun. Planting shade trees is another way to naturally cool down hot sides of the house.
➤ Draw more air into the attic. Hot air rises, and in the summertime, hot air can get trapped beneath the roof in the attic and eaves of a home. “We go to a lot of houses that have power ventilators or WhirlyBirds (tur- bines). We recommend WhirlyBirds because the power ventilators go out a lot. But here’s the thing. A lot of
times they go out, and people don’t realize that they are out — the same for the WhirlyBirds. Sometimes they’ll quit spinning, so you want to make sure these things are functional,” Humphrey said. If they are not, he said, it can get to be more than 160 degrees in the attic, which causes the HVAC system to work even harder.
When homeowners find that their attics are retaining too much heat, they can try to speed up the exchange of hot air with a simple trick. Open up a window on a shady side of the home; then open the attic door or take out the access panel, and place a box fan inside to blow air up into the attic. This will disperse the hot air and help force it out through the vents.
➤ Use fans productively. Using box fans to suck cool night air in from east- and north-facing windows and to push out hot air from west- and south-facing windows is another way to increase circulation through a home.
Running fans may be less costly than turning on air conditioners. Also, set ceiling fans to rotate counter- clockwise. This will pull cooler air up from the floor and create a wind-chill effect.
➤ Switch to LED or CFL bulbs. Ninety percent of the energy used for incandescent bulbs is emitted as heat. This not only wastes electricity but can also make con- ditions hotter inside a home. Switch to cooler, more-ef- ficient light bulbs.
“The light bulbs that they sell today are just incredibly efficient,” Humphrey said.
➤ Invest in more insulation. Insulation does not just keep homes warmer in the cold weather. Insula- tion also prevents hot air from infiltrating living spaces while keeping cooler air where it’s needed. In many older homes, Humphrey said, the insulation has settled and no longer provides adequate thermal resistance. What he suggests to customers as a good amount of insulation in attic spaces is R-38, which isn’t altogether a measure of the thickness of the material; rather it’s a value of the material’s insulating properties.
Homeowners who have a pull-down staircase to the attic should be sure to insulate those as well, Humphrey said. “In most of the houses we go to, they’re not insulat- ed, and they don’t have a cover up above them, so when you pull it down, you’re looking right into the attic space, and the only thing that separates you and that 140- to 160-degree air is usually a 1⁄4 inch or 1⁄2 inch piece of ply- wood, and that’s it, so you have a lot of heat infiltration.”
“Also, a lot of those doors don’t close all the way. And the return is usually in the hallway near it, which makes a system not efficient. You’re bringing in unnecessary heat,” Humphrey said. “There are covers that are made
Ceiling fans can help cool a home more efficiently when fan blades spin in the right direction for the season.
that you can get to go inside of your attic space. They’re lightweight, or you can even make one yourself.”
➤ Reduce humidity levels. Humidity makes hot temperatures feel even hotter. Wash laundry, take showers and run the dishwasher at night or early in the morning before the day heats up. Don’t forget to vent bathrooms and kitchens by turning on exhaust fans when water is in use.
➤ Add caulking and stripping. Sealant around win- dows and doors will prevent unnecessary air exchange. Over time, caulking and stripping wear out. If homeown- ers see gaps under their exterior doors, it’s important to replace those gaskets, which can be purchased inexpen- sively at home hardware stores, Humphrey said.
“Think about this: When your system kicks on, you’ve got a return inside the house; it’s sucking air in from out- side through those gaps,” Humphrey said. “If you notice a lot of buildup around doors, it’s because your return is pulling air in, and that door is leaking.”
— Courtesy of Metro Creative Services, with contributions by Jennifer Ellis, special sections writer


































































































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