July 17, 2019

Hello Beautiful,

It's Katie bringing you another week of tips, hints, styles, and trends to help you look and feel your best!

This week is going to be a HOT one...prepare yourselves, pets, and homes for the intense heat! How exactly do you prepare your home though? For starters, you want to make sure the heat isn't the reason your air conditioners or banks break but you want to make sure every one is comfortable at the same time.

Questions? Comments? Email me at:katie@gophercentral.com

*-- Are you Prepared for the Heat? --*

Turn it all off: If you do not need any additional lights or TVs on, then turn them off! Having electronics running can cause extra heat within your home without even realizing it.

Manage your thermostat: You want to set your thermostat at as high a temperature as you can handle all while controlling humidity. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting thermostats to 78 degrees when you are home and need cooling.

Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed: Did you know that heat gain and heat loss through windows are responsible for 25-30% of residential heating and cooling energy use? Make sure you are closing your blinds and curtains! They act as a layer of insulation and can reduce heat gain from the sun in your home.

Use ceiling fans to circulate air: Whether you have air conditioning or not, use ceiling fans or portable fans with the windows partially open to circulate fresh air into your home. Fans can be used to evenly distribute cool air and can make a room feel up to 4 degrees cooler. Remember though that fans cool people, not rooms. Therefore, fans should be turned off in vacant rooms.

Use appliances wisely: The best time of the day to run appliances that produce heat like clothes dryers, ovens and dishwashers is at night. It will be a lot cooler at night so the little extra heat wont be too intense in the house.