Do you dread opening your utility bill from June through September? Does it seem like your air conditioner is on 24/7? If this sounds like you, your home is probably suffering from excessive summer heat gain. Heat gain happens when the radiant heat from the sun is absorbed by your home. The good news is there are plenty of ways to reduce heat gain during the summer months.
About one third of all heat gain in your home comes directly from the roof. One of the best ways to abate this heat is to install a reflective heat barrier on the underside of the roof. This aluminum sheeting will prevent up to 25 percent of heat gain all by itself. Insulating the interior of your attic and fitting it with an attic fan also will help to remove super-heated air from the attic and prevent it from radiating down into your living areas.
Another way to reduce heat gain is to block the sun from getting to your exterior walls. This can be done with landscaping or with the use of awnings. Large deciduous trees are a great choice for our area because they leaf out in the spring and provide shade during the summer months but lose their trees in the fall and allow some solar heat gain in the winter months (which will help keep your heating bill down). Properly placed trees can reduce heat gain by up to 20 percent. Awnings can be used to absorb heat into a fabric covering away from the home. They work as well as plantings and can be rolled open and closed as necessary.
Curtains, drapes, shades and shutters on windows facing the afternoon sun also help block solar heat from radiating into your home. It’s also a good idea to run any heat-generating appliances (dishwasher, washer and dryer, stoves) during the early morning or late evening when the ambient temperature is lower.
To learn more about stopping summer heat gain in your Kansas City area home and how it can help you reduce your utility bills during the summer months, please contact us at Overland Park Heating & Cooling. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Overland Park, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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