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Strategies For Surviving Severe Weather Illinois Summers

Illinois can get quite hot during the summertime and it is not uncommon for local residents to experience extended heat waves. Not only can it be incredibly unpleasant and uncomfortable when excessively high temperatures hit, but these periods can be downright dangerous, particularly if the right precautions are not taken. Following are several, simple strategies for helping you survive severe weather Illinois summers.

All households in areas with hot weather extremes need to have modern cooling systems in place. If you still have a single unit with a single vent, certain areas of the home are not being cooled effectively. Moreover, you’re probably spending a lot of unnecessary cash on your energy bills due to your inefficient and outdated cooling appliance.

Homeowners should be cognizant of the fact that window air conditioners and portable air conditions are not suitable for whole-house cooling. In fact, inefficient appliances such as these serve as temporary solutions at best. If you do not have a central air conditioner or a mini-split system, contact a local air conditioning company to start pricing your options.

Make sure that you and all your loved ones have a back-up cooling plan that you can use during heat waves. These plans are especially important for senior adults and households with infants and those with compromised immunity. If the power goes out or if home heating equipment breaks down, you will need to have a secondary way of keeping indoor temperatures under control. Also, if you have senior relatives who have opted to age in place, check on these individuals regularly throughout major heat waves.

While you might think that air conditioning is too costly to install in your home, some of the most recent designs in this equipment do not make it necessary to install duct work. Talk to a local AC company about the benefits of multi-split systems. These allow you to selectively cools spaces throughout the property and don’t require a duct system.

People are often concerned about the costs of operating this equipment as well. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to limit these expenses so that monthly energy bills are entirely manageable. Foremost among these is to have your equipment regularly serviced. Routine maintenance and care will ensure that your unit continues to work at optimal efficiency, even during times when it is constantly in use.

Contact your local roofing company to discuss the costs of having a protective roof coating installed. These coatings reflect heat and sunlight up and away from the home while offering additional protection to the roofing substrate. With one in place, your property interior will be naturally cooler, even before you turn the cooling system on.

It is also a good idea to update your window treatments, especially if your current designs are letting a lot of heat and light in throughout the hottest portion of the day. Much like a protective roof coating, blackout blinds and other hot weather window treatments can limit the amount of work that your home cooling system has to do by limiting the impact that the sun has on indoor temperatures. Finally, take a minute to seal up all cracks in windows and doors so that cold, indoor air does not have the opportunity to escape.