Cooling down a small apartment is important – and you want to make sure to do so in a way that is environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. Evaporative coolers can make a big difference.
Choosing a small cooler can provide you with the cooler temperatures you need. Additionally, there are many other things that you can do to keep the temperatures cool and under control, especially in the hotter summer months.
Block Out the Sun
The sun can result in adding 20 degrees or more to a room because the UV rays will soak right through the windows. You’ll want to do everything you can to reduce the amount of sun that penetrates through to your apartment. Close blinds so that you can reduce the heat. You may also want to hang curtains – and many offer thermal and blackout options so that you can keep as much cool air inside of the room as possible.
Remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so you’ll want to keep that in mind based on when you open your curtains and blinds. When it’s cooler outside, don’t hesitate to keep everything open.
Utilize a Fan
Whether you have ceiling fans or floor fans, use them to your advantage. When it’s warm inside of your apartment, it’s important to keep the air circulating. During the summer, ceiling fans should be rotating counterclockwise so that you create a downdraft.
If you have floor fans, don’t hesitate to move them throughout the various rooms. Adjust the height and angle of the fans, too, so that you can decide what provides you with the coolest environment.
Keep Your Body Temperature Down
One of the reasons why you may feel hot inside of your small apartment is because your body temperature is high. Work to stay cool and hydrated. Be sure that you’re drinking plenty of water. It’s also a good idea to have a towel or wrap in the freezer that you can wrap around your neck when you’re feeling overheated.
You should also plan on dressing accordingly. When it’s hot outside, dress in lightweight and lightly colored clothing. It will ensure that you don’t need to depend on the coldest temperatures to be comfortable while you’re inside.
Invest in Evaporative Coolers
Evaporative coolers utilize the process of evaporation to cool down the air while also adding some humidity. This can be ideal in hot, arid locations, such as those along the west coast of the U.S.
Choosing a portable evaporative cooler allows you to move the cooler into the area where you’re spending your time. During the day, it can be in the living room. Then, at night, you can wheel it into the bedroom. It ensures you get the air blown into the area that needs to be cooled down.
Portable coolers are affordable and extremely affordable to operate. No ducts are required to operate it, either, so you can install these anywhere – even if you don’t have a traditional HVAC system.
Depending on the size of your apartment, you may even want to invest in multiple coolers. This way, you can have one in each room where people are living and/or sleeping.
Open Your Windows
Sometimes, apartments get hot because they don’t have enough ventilation. Open up windows on both sides of the apartment. You’ll get some cross-ventilation that will also help to keep the air circulating. The more the air circulates, the cooler the air will get.
Keeping your windows open is also highly effective when you invest in an evaporative cooler.
Use LED Bulbs
LED bulbs are an important swap that you should be making inside of your home. If you still have incandescent bulbs in your lamps, vanity, and another lighting throughout your home, it’s time to make the swamp.
LED bulbs don’t get as hot, which means that they don’t generate as much heat inside of your home. While they’re a little bit more money, they are also known to last for considerably longer.
Just changing out the LED bulbs throughout all of your light fixtures has the potential to cool your place down by a degree or two.
Paint Your Wall with Lighter Colors
You can jazz up your apartment with a few fresh coats of paint in the areas where you spend the most time – the living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Lighter colors are capable of cooling your apartment down. You can choose white as well as pink, yellow, and light neutral colors. They won’t absorb the heat in the same way that dark colors do. Instead, they’ll actually reflect the light, ensuring that your home is kept much cooler.
You can have some fun by adding in some new hues. Your place will feel cooler and it will have a fresh new vibe, too.
Avoid Using Heated Appliances
There are a lot of appliances in your kitchen that can generate significant amounts of heat – including your oven and stove. When your apartment is already hot, the last thing you should be doing is baking cookies or making a big pot of sauce on the stovetop.
You don’t have to stop cooking. Just use appliances that generate less heat, such as an air fryer or a pressure cooker.
Additionally, if you do want to do away with cooking altogether, eating cold foods will help to keep you cooler and more comfortable when it’s hot outside.
Get Creative
The moment that it starts to get too hot inside of your apartment, you have countless choices to cool it down. You can choose to use an HVAC system if one is installed. However, when it’s really hot and dry outside, it could cost you a fortune. It’s why you can switch to a swamp cooler when it’s really hot – and the added humidity will feel great.
Try out some of the tips and tricks so that you can feel the difference. It will ensure your apartment is kept cool without raising your electric bills sky-high.