Extreme summer temperatures put our homes to the test. When these dates arrive, we suffer in our meats which implies having a poorly insulated home or with ventilation and cooling problems from heat. Whether your home is an oven or your electric bill goes off with the air conditioning, these tips will be useful to save you sweat.
Here at MDI we offer automated sliding and swinging gates with PLC that make your daily routine easier to complete and keep solar heat outside your house. Contact us today for more information.
- Double glazed windows
The windows are the part of the building where there are more energy losses, so double glazing will be a good ally for the thermal comfort of the home. They also help considerably the use of glasses that have low thermal transmission and low solar factor (ratio between the energy that enters a room through the glass and the solar energy that affects the outer surface of said glass perpendicularly), or window profiles with thermal bridge break.
On the other hand, check the strips of the closures on the windows because they deteriorate over time. If they take off easily or you can feel the wind passing through the closed window, they may need a replacement. You can change them yourself if you remove them with hot water and clean well before putting the new ones. Avoid as far as possible direct sunstroke on the crystals. External blinds or awnings will also help you keep the house isolated.
- Ventilate in the morning and at night
Ventilate in the morning and at night, when temperatures drop. It is also advisable to ventilate during the day if your home has cross ventilation, which basically consists of the natural ventilation of the house generating natural currents while opening opposite windows. Of course, pay attention to the prevailing direction of the winds and on what facades the sun gives to avoid that the air that enters is warmer than the one that leaves.
- Isolate the ground
The floors are a source of energy loss in buildings that can easily reach 15%, especially those in contact with the land, with the outside or with unheated premises, such as garages or warehouses. There are materials that, in a rehabilitation, help to improve the insulation of soils such as dry soils that incorporate thermal insulation in their plates considerably reducing energy losses. Its placement is done quickly and easily without the need for drying times in your installation, as the name implies.
Another possibility is raised flooring, which creates an air chamber that acts as a thermal insulator. They are also convenient to install because they usually consist of modular plates, which allows them to be easily exchanged. Although it is a more frequent solution in offices or premises, it is increasingly being installed in more homes, as long as their free height allows it, depending on the minimum limits established by the urban planning regulations of the area.
- Use weather-strips on the doors
The doors also act as insulators between different departments of the house and outwards. You will significantly improve its performance if you adjust its closure through weather-strips, flexible strips of insulating material that you can install yourself. They are quite economical and give good results. It is important that the main door of the house has insulating properties, especially if it faces directly outside.
On the interior doors, the criterion of keeping them open or closed has its pros and cons, so it will not be easy to have a general protocol of action. A large thermal jump between different areas, between rooms or rooms, is very uncomfortable and unhealthy. With this premise as a base, if there is only air conditioning in the living room, for example, it may be interesting to have the doors open while if there are several refrigerated rooms it may be convenient to close them to make the different needs independent.
- Minimises the use of lights and appliances
It is not advisable to turn on lights to avoid the gloom caused by excessive zeal in preventing the access of the sun through the windows. Not only will you be emitting more heat but you will also have to pay more on the electric bill. Let the light strain enough through the slits of the blinds. You can open the interior curtains, because they are not good insulators and prevent the passage of light. If you have lamps with several bulbs, you can remove some or light only table lamps. The best technical solution may be a system of use of natural light that regulates the level of lighting depending on the contribution of natural light.
Appliances also emit heat. Especially the oven, dishwasher, washer or dryer. It is better if you use them in the hours of less atmospheric temperature and when you do not have to stay in the kitchen. Using highly energy efficient appliances will help save money.
- Keep the air conditioner around 26º
Proper use of the air conditioner can save up to 30% on the electricity bill. Maintain a constant temperature around 26º. For each degree of cold, energy expenditure goes up between 6 and 8%. At home, he wears light clothes.
Installation maintenance is also important. Dust or foreign objects in filters and air inlets and outlets worsen equipment performance. From eight to ten years, you should be thinking about renewing it if you notice that its performance clearly decreases.
- Optimise the use of hot water
In summer it is usual to reduce the consumption of hot water, especially in the shower. Even so, it is inevitable that hot water is used for some household chores such as washing dishes, washing machines or dishwashers. This can cause that, if the pipes of the house are old or poorly insulated, the interior temperature increases due to the overheating that occurs with the passage of hot water through the pipes.
A good insulation system in the pipe network not only helps maintain the desired temperature, but also allows a more efficient use of energy, since less heat energy is wasted, which can mean savings that you also want to consider. On the other hand, the use of solar energy to produce domestic hot water produces initial investments or expenses that are recovered in the short term.
If you are looking for new automatic gates to insulate from heat such as automatic sliding gates or automatic swing gates, here at MDI you will find them. We also offer sliding gate servicing so you can make sure your equipment keeps working at full potential.