HOLLYWOOD Blog

Three places to keep cool this summer in Hollywood

Here in Hollywood and surrounding areas, we know that the weather during the months of June through September gets extremely hot and it can feel like a burden to spend time outside in the heat sometimes. As a result, a comfortably cool home is even more important but running the A/C all day long is expensive, especially with the rising energy prices. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of other things and places to cool off so you can enjoy the summer.

Hollywood Beach

In South Florida, we’re lucky to never be too far from the beach and a body of water waiting to refresh us. For us, jumping into the fresh water is the ultimate way to cool off and it’s also free! Before cooling off, maybe check out the boardwalk for a nice walk with your family and groove out to local artists at the Hollywood Beach Theater!

Yellow Green Farmers Market

Our farmers market is famous for its size and multitud of vendors with delicious, fresh food and many drink and slushy options to cool you off on a hot day. Pass by on a Saturday, enjoy the music and refresh yourself with some fun and ice cream at our local market.

Your Home

Your home should be the ultimate sanctuary for you to cool off, get some rest and enjoy time with your family. There are different options to cool down your home and make it more comfortable during the summer that do not include your A/C:

Block the Heat

Keeping the front door and your windows closed is probably the most obvious way of keeping the hot air outside. To keep the cool air where you need it most, closing off doors to unused rooms is also a good idea as it prevents cool air from leaking to parts of the house where you don’t spend much time. The bigger the area to cool, the more your A/C has to work.

If you would like to do even more, remember that light equates to heat. Around 76% of the light that falls on windows enters the home to become heat and reflective window films can block up to 78% solar heat and 99% harmful UV rays. Tinted windows are not your thing? You can also shade windows and walls with blinds and blackout curtains on the inside and large potted plants or trees on the outside. Plants and trees will block the sunlight from directly shining into your window and also make your garden look nicer. If there’s no space for trees, you can also look into window awnings, which, according to the US Department of Energy, can reduce up to 65-77% of solar heat gain. Just remember, the more sunlight that flows into your home, the warmer you will feel and the harder your A/C will have to work.

Adjust Fans

When used correctly in combination with an air conditioner, fans can be tremendously helpful and actually support your A/C so it can work less. However, fans that aren’t rotating counter-clockwise may be heating instead of cooling. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter-clockwise in summer to push air straight down helping to create a cooling effect and clockwise in winter to pull cool air up. In warmer weather, set the fan speed high and in cooler weather it works best on low.

Home Insulation

Insulation is most definitely the most important factor in keeping your home at a comfortable temperature all year long. Not only is it highly energy-efficient but also helps you save money on your energy bills. Insulation is often associated with retaining heat inside homes in cool climates but it works just as well to keep the heat out and cool air inside. That means that adding insulation to your attic and walls will make a significant improvement to your home’s climate and provide thermal protection from the Florida heat. The heat that would otherwise enter your home through small cracks and crevices in your attic (and yes, nearly all homes have those!), can no longer get in as insulation fills up those gaps and absorbs heat that gets passed through the roof. There are different types of insulation with varying degrees of thermal efficiency and many other benefits (e.g. less humidity, less pests and less mold & mildew!) but they all have one thing in common - being the most cost- and time-efficient solution against the heat that will last you for many decades of cool summers.

While there are many more ways to stay cool & comfortable, nothing beats the effectiveness and efficiency of high quality insulation that’s properly installed. Contact us at Koala Insulation of Hollywood to get a free in-home insulation evaluation, find out how your home can benefit from insulation and which type would work best, and get the most professional insulation installation in the area. We’re here for you on your insulation journey, every step of the way.