Reduce Heat Gain With a Remodeling Contractor

As summer approaches we all tend to crank up the AC to keep our houses cool. But think of the ways you can reduce heat gain in your home and how that will decrease the amount of AC you need to use to stabilize the temperature in the house. A remodeling contractor is you best option to do this kind of job.

Seal the heat out

Look at how your house has been weatherized. Is the weather-stripping around your entrance doors intact? If not, it’s allowing heat into the house. Are the areas around your vents, electrical box, and any pipes that lead outdoors from the house sealed? Reseal kitchen and other interiors if necessary. Do all the windows and doors seal tightly when closed? If they don’t, they will allow heat into the house. You would need the aid of a good kitchen remodeling contractor in Malibu to do the job properly.

Color your roof

As the largest surface area of your house exposed to the sun, your roof allows the most heat into your home. The best ways to mitigate this are painting the roof with a reflective coating substance or painting it a light color that will refract and not absorb heat from the sun.

Use Mother Nature to beat the heat

Trees are a wonderful way to protect your home and the areas around it because they provide natural shade. If you have a cement patio or courtyard, a tree that shades it will keep the cement cool. This prevents the heat from the cement getting into the house.

Always remember to keep trees pruned away from your gutters so that they do not get clogged up. Plant seasonal trees that grow their foliage during the summer strategically so that they block direct sunlight from certain rooms. When they lose their leaves in winter, they allow sunlight back into the house.

Prevent heat coming in through the windows

There are several ways you can stop heat seeping into your house through the windows aside from ensuring that they are closed tightly.

Blinds – Interior or exterior blinds that are kept closed during the time of the day when the window is exposed to sunlight reduce the amount of heat getting into the house.

Awnings – Awnings block sun access to windows, but the adjustable ones are recommended so that you can move them in wintertime to let more sunshine in.

Tint material – Sticking a reflective film on your windows not only gives you the added benefit of privacy but also blocks a substantial amount of heat from entering the house.

Curtains/drapes – If kept closed, drapes block sunlight and prevent heat from getting into the house.

Insulation and ventilation

Make sure that the insulation between your attic/roof and the rest of the house is good quality based on the R-value scale. Consider getting an expert in to evaluate if your insulation is sufficient or needs to be replaced.

While you’re checking your insulation, ensure that all AC ducts are sealed and that none have perished. If you have an attic, make sure that it is properly ventilated. If not, attics allow a tremendous amount of heat into the house which is transferred down to the living spaces below it.