When it comes to living spaces, many people believe that bigger equals better. While larger residences certainly have their advantages, there’s quite a bit to be said for more compact homes. In fact, the advantages of apartments and smaller homes are particularly obvious during periods of extreme weather. So, if you reside in an area that’s prone to scorchingly hot summers and/or year-round warm weather, you should know that controlling the climate in your compact living space is much easier than you may think.
Install High-Quality Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can prove tremendously helpful to your cooling efforts on numerous fronts. For starters, well-placed ceiling fans can efficiently circulate cool air from your air conditioner or outdoors throughout your entire residence. Needless to say, the smaller the residence, the easier it is to keep air circulation steady. Reliable ceiling fans can also be used to create downward-flowing cool breezes. Simply adjust your fans’ blades to spin counterclockwise to take advantage of this convenient feature.
No matter how small your residence is, you should have no trouble finding ceiling fans that perfectly meet your needs. Even if you don’t have a lot of ceiling space to spare, you can find the right fans at https://www.hunterfan.com/collections/small-ceiling-fans.
If you live in an apartment with outdated or worn-down ceiling fans, have a talk with your landlord about replacing them. Depending on the terms of your rental agreement, your landlord may be obligated to carry out requests of this type. Even if replacing the fans is your responsibility, high-quality ceiling fans are generally affordable on even the most stringent of budgets.
Invest in Sun-Blocking Curtains
Although the sun can act as a great source of natural lighting, sunlight also stands to increase the temperature inside your residence. Unsurprisingly, smaller residences tend to heat up – and cool down – much faster than larger ones. To get a handle on this problem, make a point of keeping your curtains closed during the sun’s peak hours. This will help keep sunlight at bay during the time of day it stands to impact indoor temperatures the most.
You can take things a step further by investing in sun-blocking curtains. As you have inferred by the name, these curtains are designed to keep the amount of sunlight that gets inside to a bare minimum. Additionally, since certain varieties of sun-blocking curtains are composed of thermal materials, they can prove helpful at sealing in cool air from your A/C. To sweeten the deal, most sun-blocking curtains fall within the same price range as regular window dressings, so you needn’t worry about them being prohibitively expensive.
Be Mindful of Oven Use
Using an oven during periods of warm weather can turn a compact residence into a sauna. You can nip this in the bud by limiting oven use during excessively hot periods, especially during daylight hours. Additionally, if your kitchen features a ventilation fan, make sure to turn it on every time you use the oven.
People who do a lot of cooking are liable to view limited oven use as a huge inconvenience. However, instead of grumbling about not being able to use your oven, why not view this as an opportunity to try new things? There are a wide variety of oven-free recipes that can be prepared in a timely – and cost-effective – manner, much to the delight of culinary wizards who are short on time and/or financial resources. Furthermore, if your apartment or condo complex allows outdoor grilling, this may also be a great opportunity to step up your BBQ game.
There are numerous advantages to inhabiting a smaller living space. For starters, cleanup is bound to be a lot easier in a studio apartment than in a full-sized residence. Secondly, utilities and general cost of living are liable to eat up less of your financial resources. Furthermore, warming up or cooling off a compact residence can prove much simpler than altering the climate of a larger home. This can be particularly convenient during the sweltering summer months and in areas that receive summer-like temperatures year-round. So, if you’re looking for ways to beat the heat in a studio apartment or any other type of compact residence, your options are far from limited.
