How I Made My 50-Year-Old Lafayette Home More Comfortable This Summer

(LAFAYETTE, La) - Every Summer, the temperatures rise, along with utility bills. Tips to help improve the efficiency of cooling systems can really help out, and recently I discovered a few I hadn't really paid much attention to before. If you have a home with central air conditioning, maybe these tips can help you feel more comfortable at home without putting too much of a strain on your finances.

Get our free mobile app

My house is over 50 years old now, and has a relatively new air conditioning system which was installed less than 5 years ago. I still noticed that during the summer here in Lafayette, I had areas in the house that felt uncomfortable, even with the thermostat set lower than recommended. Let's face it, 78 degrees inside a house doesn't sound like a nice place to relax. My thermostat was on 70 during the day and 66 at night. Still, even with ceiling fans running, window shades closed and lights turned off, the house felt stagnant. It was at this point I did a little research and found a few things that have definitely helped out the comfortability of my home.

1. Running AC Fan on Circulate Mode:

gray Nest thermostat displaying at 63

This one made the biggest impact so far in how my house feels at a higher thermostat temperature. Instead of turning the fan on continuous mode (which will also work but has the potential to increase my utility bill), I found that circulate mode does the trick while keeping my thermostat higher than I used to. I even keep my night temperature higher than before with the increased comfortability which should cut down my utility bill somewhat.

2. Dehumidifier:

Amazon.com

We all know in Louisiana that it's not the heat, it's the humidity. It's a real factor in comfortability in homes, but not all AC systems have the dehumidifier function. We purchased a portable room dehumidifier from the hardware store and during the summer, I am very consistent regarding emptying the device as soon as it's full. Getting your home humidity levels to a reasonable 30-50% will help you feel cooler.

3. Keep Interior Doors Open:

Franco Debartolo via Unsplash

In the same vein of helping your air conditioner work more efficiently, keeping your interior doors open when possible helps reduce the strain on the system, making it easier for your central air conditioning unit to cycle the air, and reducing the strain on the blower motor.

4. Exterior Solar Screens on Windows:

Darrin Henein via Unsplash

I don't believe the screens at my house had been changed since it was built. 50+ years later, the wear and tear that Mother Nature provided has taken its toll on the screens. Along with damage, the materials have improved over the years, and now you can purchase dark-colored solar mesh to help trap the heat outside your house. With a few tools you can swap out the screens yourself, or you can pay for someone to do it for you. Professionals can also install window film to cut down on glare and heat gain in your house. I have a few more windows to address on the west-facing side of the house, but already can notice a change in the temperature near the replaced screen.

One Final Note:

If you live in Lafayette Parish and have LUS as a utility service, you can get a free Home Energy Audit to identify potential problems and provide recommendations to improve energy efficiency. It was very interesting to see the process and where heat was coming into my home. You can visit the LUS website to request your own energy audit.

Looking for other ways to cool off in Louisiana? Check out these spots: