The Sauna Effect: Decreasing Heat Gain To Improve Furnace Efficiency

9 July 2015
 Categories: , Blog


During the summer a constant but silent battle rages in your home. On the one hand, you have the UV rays of the sun infiltrating your home through the windows and heating up the interior surfaces. On the other hand, you have your AC unit which cools the air in your home to repel such invasions. If the temperature in your home increases throughout the day despite the proper operation of your AC unit, the sun is winning. In order to turn the tide of the battle in favor of your AC unit, you need to take steps to prevent heat gain so that your home does not turn into a sauna as your cooling costs tick ever upward.    

Identify Your Weak Points

Any good general can tell you that to win a battle, you have to assess your situation and take steps to buttress any weak points in your defenses. So what are the weak spots in your home that allow heat to sneak in? Experts estimate that up to 20% of summer heat gain is a result of UV rays streaming through your windows. And did you know that asphalt shingles can get as hot as 150 degrees? The hotter your roof gets, the more heat seeps into your home. To win the summer cooling battle, you cannot ignore these two weaknesses.

"Once More Unto The Breach"

You don't have to wall off your windows to prevent heat gain. Instead, all you have to do is apply a window film. Window films filter out UV rays while still allowing some sunlight to enter your home. Thus, you can enjoy the view from your window and an abundance of natural light while still decreasing your cooling costs by up to 23%. Not every roofing material will heat up your home. For example, if you install reflective metal roofing that has been treated with an emissive coating, you can decrease your cooling costs by up to 40%

You should not feel like you have to take a drive in your car or camp out in the frozen foods section of your local grocery store in order to get some relief from the heat. Instead, all you should have to do is beef up your home's defenses against heat gain. Knowing that UV rays are the strongest weapon in the sun's arsenal, you can take steps to stop them before they hit you right in the cooling bill.  

For further assistance, contact local HVAC professionals, such as those found through http://www.alliedairheat.com.


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