There’s nothing quite like the Aussie sun. Can you imagine what the summers were like before the invention of the air conditioner? Just thinking about it’s enough to make you want to send whoever you bought your AC unit from a thank you card.
As convenient, valuable, and necessary as your central cooling unit is, blasting it on full power all summer will drive your electric bill sky high. But you have to stay cool—so it’s quite the conundrum. Luckily, you don’t have to choose between staying cool and saving money. Continue reading to learn how to stay cool without busting your budget during the squelching Aussie summer months.
Get Home Insurance
It’s a terrible feeling to find out that your air conditioner is on the fritz on the first hot day of the summer. No matter how many nifty tips and tricks you use to stay cool, you’ll still need your air conditioner. HVAC repairs aren’t cheap, so it’s best to have home insurance so that you’re financially prepared for stuff to break down. Because it will!
Not all insurance plans are equal, so you need to make an informed decision. Compare home insurance policy differences to get the one that’s the best fit for you. You may never need it, but it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Compare home insurance policies with iSelect to find the best coverage for the lowest price. The money you spend on insurance will be well worth the money you don’t have to spend on costly repairs.
Keep the Hot Air Out
If you have any openings in your home, then the warm air will flow in and make you pay for it—literally and figuratively. When you have warm air coming in from outside without your knowledge, you turn the AC up. It’s natural.
Before the start of every summer and winter, you need to check your house to make sure that it’s sealed properly. If it isn’t, then you’re wasting energy and money trying to keep your home cool. By replacing your roof and windows, you could save yourself hundreds of dollars annually.
Little things like making sure you keep your windows and exterior doors shut are also great for your home and your budget. Simple oversights like leaving doors and windows ajar heat your home.
Make Sure Your Home Is Properly Insulated
If your home feels like an oven during the summer months and an icebox in the winter, then you have insulation problems. Because it’s so fibrous, insulation is an excellent resister against thermal energy. In the summer, attic insulation traps the warm air and keeps it from entering the house. In the winter months, it keeps your warm air from breaking out of the house. Properly insulating your home goes a long way toward keeping your home chilled. It’ll also make your electric bill a little lighter!
Keep the Sun Out
Another simple way to keep your home cool is to block the sun out as much as possible without turning your home into a dungeon. After all, the sun is the reason it’s hot outside anyway. Blinds, for example, are a great way to keep the sun out. You can open them partially to let in a little sun and close them if you want full protection from the sun. Since blinds are usually made of plastic or wood, they’re more impenetrable than curtains—which are, of course, made of cloth.
You can also use blackout curtains. They block out the sun and insulate the rooms they hang in. They’re also good to help you sleep during the day if you work at night.
Create Shade
The shade is the oldest protection that man has against the blazing rays of the sun. If you create shaded areas around your home, then it will also cool your home. You can do this by putting an awning on the east side of your home or shades above your windows. This has the effect of pushing the sun rays away from your home just a little.
Keeping your home cool during the summer months in Australia is no easy task. Use these simple tricks to keep your home chilled and your wallet healthy.
