Ways to Prepare Your Home for Summer

The summer season brings high temperatures and humidity to the Coastal Bend region. If your home isn’t ready, you’ll be stuck with high energy bills and waiting in line if something goes wrong with one of your systems. Prepare your home for summer early so you’re sure to receive the services you need, such as preventive HVAC maintenance, and maximize comfort and energy savings. 

How to Prepare Your Home

• Attic space – The attic is a hot spot for energy loss and moisture accumulation. Seal the attic hatch with weatherstripping, and check insulation levels and quality. If you find any mold, throw out that portion of insulation. Make sure the attic is insulated to at least R-30 and as much as R-60.
• Window treatments – Sun-facing windows should be covered on sunny days to block solar heat gain. Consider installing insulated window curtains, awnings, honeycombed shades or other window treatments to block heat gain by conduction. Storm shutters are also good in our region for energy efficiency and home safety.
• Ceiling fans – If you have ceiling fans, make sure they’re spinning counterclockwise, blowing air toward the floor. Ceiling fans cause a wind chill effect that can make individuals in a room feel several degrees cooler. You can increase the temperature on the thermostat a few degrees and feel the same comfort.
• Programmable thermostat – Programmable thermostats offer user-friendly controls and a convenient way to save energy with automatic changeover temperatures.
• A/C maintenance – Schedule professional preventive maintenance for a thorough inspection and testing of your A/C system. Continue to maintain your system by keeping the outside unit free of debris, which blocks airflow. Check the air filter once a month, and clean or change it according to manufacturer specifications.
• Ductwork – The air ducts need to be inspected for leaks, damage and insulation. Loose joints may be sealed with metal tape and mastic paste. Insulate ducts located outside the conditioned spaces.

If you would like more details about any of these tips to prepare your home for summer, please contact CCAC. We serve residents of South Texas.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about preparing your home for summer and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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