Ideas to Cool Down the Upstairs of a Cape Home

Venting

• Heat trapped in the upper portion of a cape home will raise the upstairs temperature. To cool the area, open all the windows in the upper story. This gives the hot air an escape, cooling the upstairs. To enhance the effect, place fans in the windows to force the hot air out.

Shading

• Prevent the upstairs from getting hot by keeping solar radiation out. Put solar screens over the upstairs and downstairs windows. This prevents the greenhouse effect from heating the interior of your home. The greenhouse effect happens when sunlight and heat come through clear windows. The light can escape out of the glass, but the heat is trapped in your home. Solar screens block the heat from the sun from entering your home, keeping the interior cool. After installing them, your upstairs will be cooler than it was without the screens.

Furnace Blower

• Instead of using the blower on your furnace just for the winter, keep it on all year long. During the winter, the blower will circulate hot air through the ducts. In the summertime, turn off the heat and turn on the furnace blower only, to evenly move cooler air through the house. You don't need a central air conditioner to take advantage of the furnace fan. Use the blower in conjunction with another cooling method for maximum effect.

Fans

• If the upstairs portion is in use during warmer months, place portable fans or ceiling fans in the area. The fans won's bring the actual upstairs temperature down, but if a person stands in front of a fan, she'll feel a wind chill effect. This makes the space feel cooler. Don't leave the fans on when the upstairs is unoccupied to avoid wasting electricity.