How to Keep Your Home Cooler During Extreme Summer Heat

During extreme summer heat, help your home stay cooler by reducing direct sunlight and indoor heat, keeping cooling airflow clear, and watching for changes in system performance. Your air conditioner may run longer in hot conditions; that alone does not prove a fault.

This guide focuses on your home and appliances. If indoor conditions are not safe for the occupants, follow local heat-emergency instructions and use an appropriate cooled location rather than waiting for an appliance-repair appointment.

Reduce the heat entering the room

Close suitable blinds or curtains on sun-facing windows when direct sun is strongest. Keep windows and doors in the configuration recommended for your cooling system; opening them during active cooling can introduce hot or humid air. If outdoor air is cooler and conditions permit ventilation, make that a deliberate choice rather than running opposing strategies at once.

Where practical, schedule heat-producing cooking and laundry tasks for cooler periods. The purpose is to reduce the load inside the space, not to promise a particular temperature drop or energy saving.

Keep the cooling path clear

Check accessible filters using the model’s instructions and keep supply and return openings clear of furniture or curtains. A washable filter and a disposable filter require different treatment. Do not wash, remove, or improvise a substitute without checking the model.

The Department of Energy’s home-cooling infographic explains that fans improve people’s comfort rather than lowering the room temperature. Use any fan according to its safety instructions; it is not evidence that an overheated home is safe. For routine checks, see our AC review checklist.

Observe comfort before changing the thermostat again

Choose a setting that meets the household’s needs and give the system time to respond according to its documentation. Note whether a problem affects one sunny room or the entire home. A blocked airflow path, unusual humidity, or failing equipment cannot be identified from the thermostat number alone.

Our summer AC temperature guide explains why there is no mandatory setting for everyone. Avoid repeatedly changing controls or resetting a system that keeps returning an error.

Remember that the refrigerator is also handling heat

Warm conditions, frequent door openings, and newly added groceries can make a refrigerator work longer. Keep packages away from interior vents and make sure the door closes fully. LG’s continuous-operation guidance explains several conditions that affect running time.

For a change in sound or operation, use our three checks for a constantly-running refrigerator. If the refrigerator is not keeping food cold, look at temperature readings and refrigerator-repair guidance rather than assuming the extra sound is harmless or that the thermostat must have failed.

Get help when cooling does not recover

New leaks, recurring errors, ice on a cooling unit, or persistent loss of cooling need professional assessment. For an existing-system inquiry in New York or New Jersey, send Triple A Plaza the model and symptoms. If you are considering a new system, our heat-pump installation page explains that separate option. Neither route should replace emergency heat guidance when people need immediate cooling.