 Keeping Your Home Cool in Summer Having a hard time keeping cool with this summer heat? Here are a few tips to stay cool at home: 1) Be sure to close your shades during the day to keep the heat out. 2) Circulate the furnace fan; turn on a whole-house fan or attic fans. Even if you don't have central air, these fans will move the air around bringing fresh air into the room. 3) Cook outside on the grill or during the coolest part of the day. This will keep the heat from the oven/stove out. 4) Switch dampers in your central air ducts so they are fully open on the second floor and partially closed on the first floor. This will push more cool air to the top floors where it's typically warmer. 5) Open windows that catch a breeze on cooler nights. 6) Most ceiling fans have two directions, make sure ceiling fans are blowing air downward. 7) Only increase the thermostat temperature a few degrees when leaving your home on very hot days. This will prevent your A/C from working too hard to get down to temp when you return home. 8) Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs; they emit less heat and be sure to turn off lights when not in use. 9) Turn off computers and electronics when not in use; they produce a lot of heat. More tips on keeping your home cool during these hot summer months. | 
