The Fourth of July is many Americans’ favorite holiday. What’s not to love? Celebrating freedom, eating good food, gathering together, watching fireworks… It’s a pretty great holiday. Staying cool on the Fourth of July, however, is another story. If you’re hosting the festivities, there are some little tips that can go a long way in keeping your guests, and your home, cool and comfortable.
- Keep everything outside or in the garage
If you and your guests are constantly going in and out, you’ll likely lose a lot of the air conditioned air to the outside. Your HVAC will be working hard in the Fourth of July heat and wasting energy. One way to reduce this is by keeping the food and drinks outside, in coolers when necessary.
For times when people have to go indoors, to go to the bathroom or change their clothes or something like that, it’s good to remind them to shut the door behind them. Putting up a note on the door helps to keep the cool air in and the flies out.
- Do the cooking outside
Appliances give off a lot of heat, especially ovens and stoves, that your HVAC has to combat to keep the temperature down. Since the Fourth of July is all about barbecuing, take the opportunity to cook outside! If possible, cook anything that needs to cook in the oven the night before, so that the oven isn’t on during the hottest part of the day.
- Put out fans & turn on the sprinkler
If it’s a hot day, your guests are going to get sick of being hot. If you have fans going (better yet, with water misting in front of the fans), a sprinkler for the kids and more adventurous adults, and even a blow up pool, this will encourage people to stay outside and keep cool at the same time.
- Monitor the heat & your guests
On holidays like the Fourth of July, when people are indulging in adult beverages and spending a long time outside in the heat, heat stroke and dehydration become a concern. Make sure it’s not too hot for everyone to be outside, and know the signs of heat stroke and dehydration. Serve plenty of water and provide some ways for everyone to cool off!
- Turn down the AC
While it might sound counterintuitive to turn down the AC on a hot day when you have company coming over, it’s a good option if everyone’s mostly going to be outside! Adjusting your temperature or putting it on a schedule to lessen the load on your HVAC is always a good idea, and if everyone’s outside, it could be the perfect day for it.
As always, make sure your HVAC is ready for the heat by cleaning the filters and making sure it’s in tip top shape with a yearly tune up.
