While the majority of Australian homes have air conditioning, it’s good to be prepared if it breaks down or works less efficiently. Lowering the power bills is another great benefit of cooling your home down. There are many simple ways everyone can use to keep their home cool. Let’s take a look at some of the best home cooling tips.

Shade Your Home with a Shade Sail

It’s likely one side of your home absorbs a lot of sun at certain times of day. A well-positioned, quality shade sail made from the right shade cloth, will keep the sun’s rays away from your home. Residential shade sails are fully customisable and the Z16 shade cloth offers up to 99% UV block. This is ideal to keep your home cool, which in turn will help keep your AC bills lower.

Use Blockout Curtains or Wooden Shutters

A lot of heat filters in through windows. Even though it’s nice to have light, bright rooms, consider pulling your shades or blockout curtains on seriously hot days. Keeping your blinds or shades closed can save you up to 7% on bills and decrease your indoor temperature by a whopping 20 degrees!

Rotate Ceiling Fans Counter-Clockwise

If you have a ceiling fan, you may not be aware that it’s direction can be changed. In the summer you should set it to rotate counter-clockwise at a higher speed to get the air moving around. In the winter, you can set it to clockwise at a lower speed to distribute heat.

Plant Trees or Vines Near Light Facing Windows

While this is a longer term solution. Adding trees and vines near to your home which gets the full force of the sun, gives your home another cool barrier. These shade spots will reduce the amount of heat your home absorbs, meaning you can use the AC less.

Swap Your Sheets and Pillows

While fleeces and textiles are great for insulation in the winter months. Cotton is the best choice in the summer months to help you stay cooler and breathe easier. Buckwheat pillows are recommended, because they don’t hold onto your body heat like normal pillows. Buckwheat hulls naturally hold space between them, letting air circulate.

Use Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Normal light bulbs can be less energy efficient and radiate a lot of extra heat. Which is exactly what you don’t need in the height of the summer. Instead of hiking up your AC to keep cool, swop your current bulbs for energy efficient ones. This lowers your power bills and produces less heat.