Tips to keep your house cool! Window coverings and Insulation.

It’s 100 degrees outside and 90 in your newly built home! Oh sure, a few rooms are cool but the rest of the house is unbearable! You paid $270,000 for this place and refuse to be uncomfortable! I don’t blame you. You want, and deserve, to be comfortable in your home. Especially a newly constructed home that had better be built efficiently.
I have the privilege of being involved in the HVAC design of around 500 new homes a year and have had only a handful of homes that were extremely hot during the summer. I am going to share some of my findings so that you may be able to avoid some very uncomfortable situations.
For starters, here in Idaho, we have some of the most stringent laws to follow when it comes to residential new construction. Our homes must be constructed tighter and more efficient than ever before. One of the most important factors that must be understood, when it comes to indoor comfort, is the design parameters. All new homes must be designed at a 75 degree indoor temperature on a 95 degree day. That means for those of you who want it 70 degrees in your home, no matter how hot it is outside, you are going to be very disappointed. But, if you understand these parameters upfront, then you can decide the right course of action to take. (Contact me for solutions to provide additional cooling beyond the design parameters)
Back to my findings. Each home that was uncomfortable to the homeowners had some interesting issues. I’m not referring to homes that had a faulty air conditioner or other component in this article, but rather homes that had properly operating HVAC systems, yet were uncomfortably hot.
The first home I will discuss had insulation missing from the attic over 2 bedrooms in the 2nd level of the home. It also had substantial air gaps at the front door. The homeowner wanted it 70 degrees in his home, even at outdoor temps of 105 degrees. When measured, his home was reaching 76 to 78 degrees on a 95 degree day. When the insulation was added and the air gaps fixed, his home maintained the design temperatures easily.
The second home had another very unhappy homeowner. His living room, on the first floor, was 84 degrees on one hot, 100 degree day! He was certain that our HVAC system was undersized and demanded we install a larger one! It turned out that his entire living room was missing the insulation in the attic! Needless to say that once the insulation was added, his home easily maintained the design temperature.
A third home had a different problem although having similar symptoms. It was also a 2 level home that was reaching indoor temperatures of 87 degrees on a 100 degree day. This home had some very large southeast facing windows that received sunlight all morning. The homeowners had yet to install window coverings on any window in the home! This home had so much heat gain from the glazing (glass) that it was no wonder they were hot! The homeowners refused to believe that window coverings would make a difference…this remains to be seen since they have not installed coverings yet…I will let you know the results.
There was a fourth home that also was missing window coverings and too experienced warmer indoor temperatures.
My explanation to have window coverings is quite simple. Park your vehicle with the windshield facing the sun and see if it makes the car hot. Then install a cardboard sunshade and see if that makes the car cooler. The same holds true for homes. Glass is a great conductor of heat and sunshine…so install blinds or some other covering.

So do yourself a favor and install window coverings on all windows (and keep them closed). Then, verify you have the proper insulation in areas of your home that seem unusually hot. By doing these two things, you will be much cooler when it is hot outside, and you will spend less money on your electricity bills.