How to Prepare Your Home for Summer

Summer has arrived and, if you haven’t already prepared your home for the months of hot weather ahead, now is the time to do so! Here are some tips from our team of heating and cooling specialists in Melbourne.

#1 – Service Your Air Conditioning System

Each year, your air conditioning system should be professionally serviced. This keeps it running at peak performance, ensures good air quality, prevents excessive energy usage, and helps prevent repair issues and breakdowns – the last thing you want in the summer heat!

A good service or maintenance professional will thoroughly clean your system (including vents, ducts and filters), replace worn parts (including your air filter), look for preventative maintenance issues to reduce risks of breakdown in the summer, and set your system up for peak performance through the months ahead.

#2 – Make Storm Preparations

Heavy summer storms can happen with little or no warning, so it’s important that your home is ready. This includes checking your roof for any potential leaks/broken tiles, clearing out your gutters and downpipes, unblocking outside drains, and cutting back dead trees and tree branches that overhang your roof and could cause damage if they fall down.

#3 – Get Fire Ready

Summer means fire season, and there is a lot homeowners can do to play their part in fire prevention and management. If you live in a higher risk area, clear away bush in a 10 metre border around your home (shrubs, long grass, trees, etc.). Keep the grass short and remove anything that could be fuel for a fire, including dead branches, mulch and flammable clutter.

Seal off air conditioning system vents and pipe outlets with ember mesh screening. Make sure your house insurance has you sufficiently covered and that you have a supply of stored bottled water and First Aid kits.

#4 – Invest in Insulation

Insulation is an investment that pays off year round, helping keep your home warm in winter and cool in the summer. In fact, insulation is so effective that it can cut your energy use by as much as 45%!

Insulating your roof and walls, as well as blocking air gaps around windows and doors means cool air from your air conditioning system can’t leak out, so it doesn’t have to work as hard (or use as much energy) to keep your space cool. You can get some great eco-friendly insulation options too, helping to reduce your carbon footprint even further.

#5 – Avoid the Oven

In home appliances like ovens can output a considerable amount of heat, making your home warmer while you cook and forcing your air conditioning system to draw even more energy to try cool your space. Rather take the opportunity to cook differently in the warmer weather. Serve salads and cold dinners or fire up the barbie instead!

#6 – Install a Smart Thermostat

Each year, our homes are getting smarter – and a lot of this technology can be used to heat and cool your home more efficiently and cost-effectively. A smart thermostat will help you customise cooling in your home, preventing issues where the system runs while you’re not home or where it cools spaces you aren’t using.

These smart thermostats learn your habits and preferences as well as giving you complete control over home cooling through your app. That way, they help control your cooling expenses through the summer.

#7 – Rotate Your Ceiling Fans  

In winter, ceiling fans can be set to rotate in a clockwork direction which pulls warm air into the space. In summer, you need to make sure any ceiling fans are set to the opposite – the counter-clockwise rotation – in order to draw heat away.

Get Your Home Ready for Summer with Our Team of Air Conditioning Specialists!

Whether you want to upgrade to a new, high-efficiency air conditioning system or have your current system serviced or repaired, the team at Tailored Heating and Cooling can assist you.

We’ve been providing professional services in Melbourne for over 30 years, customising our solutions to ensure our clients get the best possible deals and results. Whatever your home heating or home cooling needs, we can help.