Is your air conditioner ready for Kentucky’s heat? Doing these tasks could save you big
Temperature highs across Kentucky are expected to reach into the upper 90s this week as a stifling heat wave settles in over the central and eastern U.S.
When it’s hot out, you can’t count on electric fans as your primary cooling method, given they may not be enough to prevent heatstroke or other heat-related illnesses.
Air conditioning is essential in extreme heat, so here are some tips to ensure your at-home unit is working correctly and how to find a spot to cool off if it isn’t. Also, we’ve got some tactics you can use to cool off your home and hopefully decrease the load on your air conditioner, ultimately saving you money.
How to optimize your air conditioning for hot weather
Beating the summer heat should ideally start months in advance.
If you have central air conditioning, have your units serviced annually. You should replace the filters every one to two months during the summer for the most efficient cooling power, according to Consumer Reports.
Outside air conditioner units accumulate dust, dirt and debris over time, and that ultimately affects how efficiently you can cool your home. You can prolong your unit’s life by giving it a regular deep clean, at least once a year.
In the spring before summer temperatures put a strain on the machine is a good time, according to home publication the spruce The Spruce. You can do this with a garden hose, just be sure to cut off power to the unit first, be deliberate about not spraying its electrical components and use a dedicated AC cleaning product.
Ideally, any window air conditioning units should be installed in north-facing or shaded windows. A south-facing window unit will have to work much harder to keep a space cool when it’s baking in the sun all afternoon.
If you do have window-based air conditioning units, inspect them to see if they need any weather striping or insulation. Cool air will easily escape through any cracks or gaps, and that’s your money flying out the window during a heat wave.
Finally, be mindful of your thermostat setting during hot weather. Keeping your house a bit closer to the temperature outside will slow the flow of hot air into your home and save you money.
How else can I keep my home cool?
Close your curtains and blinds. Do a quick walk through your home and take note of your windows, particularly the ones facing north and south.
For the south-facing windows, keep the blinds or curtains closed during the day and install some if you don’t have any. Hanging a light-colored sheet could do in a pinch.
When you close the blinds, make sure the white-colored side is facing toward the outdoors, given that white reflects more sunlight than other colors.
You’d be surprised how much cooler this can keep the south-facing side of your home. According to Consumer Reports, you can cut solar heating by as much as 60% this way. Going forward, consider applying reflective film on windows that receive a lot of afternoon sunlight.
Ventilate and circulate the air. You can use fans to circulate the air in your home, particularly from the more shaded, north-facing side of your home to the more exposed south-facing side.
According to the federal government’s Ready.gov, you should be mindful not to rely on fans as your primary method of keeping your home cool, however. Fans create air flow, but they can also create a false sense of comfort without working to reduce body temperature and prevent heat illness.
Additionally, the blades on your ceiling fans should be turning in counter-clockwise. This helps draw hot air up toward the ceiling and keep cool air down on your level.
Minimize indoor sources of heat. If you’re paying attention to the daily forecast (and you should be), you should know when heat waves are expected. If you have an advanced warning, plan to be tactful about your cooking for the week.
Prep and cook some meals for the week that you can heat up in the microwave, rather than turning on your oven or stove.
Here are some other ways to limit heat sources, according to Today’s Homeowner:
Use a pressure cooker or a slow cooker if you do need to cook
Avoid opening the oven door. Turn on the oven light instead and look through the window
Put off doing your chores until the heat of the day has passed. Don’t run the dishwasher, clothes dryer or other appliances during the day
Take shorter and cooler showers to reduce heat-trapping humidity in your home. Run your bathroom fan for 20 minutes afterward
Make a plan for heat emergencies and look ahead
Ask yourself what you would do or where you could go if you lost power during a heat wave.
Do not rely on electric fans given they can’t be counted on to prevent heatstroke or exhaustion when temperatures reach into the high 90s.
If you do lose air conditioning, the Red Cross recommends you spend some time at a local cooling center, a public library or the mall.
Here are some other tips to follow to help you prepare for the worst-case scenario:
Make a go-kit. Stock it with at least three days worth of supplies, including back-up batteries and chargers. Copies of essential documents are also worth packing should you need them.
Make sure you have an ample supply of medications you regularly take and make a plan for storing them properly if you lose power. If your medication has to be refrigerated, can you count on a neighbor or friend to store them during a power outage?
Make sure you have plenty of lightweight, loose and lightly-colored clothing to wear during a heat wave. Now’s the time to break out those billowy Hawaiian shirts.
Form a support group made up of your family and friends and regularly check in with them. Check on your neighbors, particularly elderly ones.
Do you have a question about the weather in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Send us an email at ask@herald-leader.com or fill out our Know Your Kentucky form.