As much fun as summer can be, everyone’s favorite season has an unfortunate tendency to push people’s heat tolerance to the max. Swelteringly hot temperatures can turn your home into a sauna, making it difficult to find sanctuary from the brutal outdoor heat. Anyone looking to create a safe space from untenably warm temperatures needs to look no further than their living room. In addition to being the primary congregation area in many households, your living room can serve as a first-rate chill zone throughout the summer months. So, if a heat-proof living room is what you’re after, put the following pointers to good use.
Invest in Dependable Ceiling Fans
When putting together an effective summertime cooling arsenal, dependable ceiling fans are an absolute must. If you have central AC, reliable ceiling fans can work in tandem with it by evenly and efficiently distributing the cool air it produces. Even if your home lacks air conditioning altogether, ceiling fans can still be a tremendous help. By simply adjusting their blades to spin counterclockwise, you can imbue your ceiling fans with the ability to produce downward-flowing cooling breezes.
Needless to say, a high-quality ceiling fan is an essential presence in your heat-free living room. Since ceiling fans are available in an extensive array of styles and sizes, you should have no problem finding one that suits your needs perfectly. For example, if your living room doesn’t have much ceiling space to spare, a good flush mount ceiling fan should be right up your alley.
Get Rid of Incandescent Light Bulbs
At this point, the benefits of energy-efficient bulbs couldn’t be any clearer. In addition to lasting much longer than traditional incandescents, energy-efficient bulbs consume far less energy. Also notable is the fact that energy-efficient bulbs give off a lot less heat than their incandescent contemporaries. This feature can prove particularly beneficial to people who hail from areas that are known for brutally hot summers. The more incandescent bulbs you have in your home, the warmer you’re likely to be throughout the summer months. In order to nip this in the bud, make an effort to clear your home’s light fixtures of incandescent bulbs. At the very least, none of the light fixtures in your living room sanctuary should be equipped with incandescents.
Many people are understandably put off by the fact that energy-efficient bulbs cost a little more than incandescents. While wanting to save money is perfectly reasonable, it’s important to note that any savings you enjoy from purchasing incandescent bulbs are purely short-term. Since they have much shorter lifespans and consume more power than energy-efficient bulbs, incandescents will ultimately cost you more in the long run. On the flipside, shelling out a little extra for energy-efficient bulbs will result in significant long-term savings.
Related: Prepare Your Home for Summer
Keep Sunlight at Bay
The more sunlight that’s able to enter your living room sanctuary, the warmer it’s likely to become. To get on top of this problem, make a point of keeping your blinds and/or curtains closed during the sun’s peak hours. Not having access to the sun’s natural lighting may prove somewhat inconvenient, but this minor annoyance can prove conducive to maintaining comfortably cool indoor temps.
If your living room is located in a spot that receives a significant amount of sunlight, investing in thermal curtains may prove worth your while. Thermal curtains can prove advantageous on two important fronts. First off, they’re designed to minimize the amount of sunlight that enters your home, so if your current window dressings are ill-equipped to block out the sun, thermal curtains can make for a welcome change. Just remember that not all thermal curtains are blackout curtains. As such, if blocking out the sun is your goal, make sure that the thermal curtains you select are of the blackout variety. Secondly, the thick thermal materials of which these curtains are composed enables them to effectively prevent cool air from your AC from escaping and warm air from outside from entering your home.
Although there are countless good things to be said about summer, the season also has one major downside: extreme heat. While many of us prefer excessive warmth to bitter cold, the former can still make life incredibly uncomfortable, especially in warmer parts of the country. As such, anyone who’s had their fill of intense summertime heat should create a designated cooldown space in their home. If your residence currently lacks such a space, odds are your living room will fit the bill perfectly.
