Summer in Florida is brutal. There’s no nicer way to put it. The heat of the summer months in our Sunshine State is inescapable, and the added humidity can make walking outside feel like stepping into a steamy bathroom.

Of course, turning down your air-conditioner during summer months can make your electric bill go up. Luckily for those who live in LifeStyle Homes, heat-resistance measures are built into their homes courtesy of the LifeStyle SunSmart℠ building method. Some of these measures include:

  • A radiant heat barrier under shingle roofs, as well as R-38 insulation to stop attic heat transfer.
  • Double-pane low-e windows and sliding-glass doors backed by Energy Star®, as well as superior sealing around windows and doors.
  • A high-performance heat-pump HVAC system with air handler mounted in a conditioned space to reduce air-conditioning inefficiencies, allowing the system to perform better.

As homeowners, there are additional measures you can take in order to beat the brutal summer heat. Here are some tips.

  1. Use your blinds.

Sunlight equates to heat in the home, and it’s going to impact internal temperature regardless of how hard your air conditioner works. Installing blinds—especially those with a thermal backing—or even shutters over your windows will do much more to keep the cool air in and the hot air out.

  1. Keep your interior doors open

When you close off open rooms, the air within can become stagnant. Instead, let your rooms flow openly into one another, allowing for air to be moved by fans and air-conditioning vents, creating a sort of breeze within your home. This is especially useful if you would like to take advantage of those cooler nights and open the windows.

  1. Invest in outdoor coverage

How warm your house is inside correlates with how warm things are outside. Naturally, a more shaded area around your house will help the interior stay cool. It may be an investment, but planting trees near windows is a great way to keep the sun away in those warmer months.

  1. Take advantage of your programmable thermostat

If you live in a new LifeStyle home, optimize comfort with your home’s programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats make it a breeze to cool your home only when you need it. Preset your thermostat to 78 – 80 degrees during the day while you’re away at work, for example, then adjust to 70 – 75 degrees an hour before you return home.