Optimize Your A/C, Improve Your Health!
Circulating cool air throughout your home is especially important this time of year. Experts recommend an indoor temperature of 78°F (during the day) which can keep costs low, but still maintain comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality.
Heat can affect the body in uncomfortable ways. Many people assume bodily illnesses are exclusively associated with colder temperatures or seasonal changes. Especially after long winters, summer is often viewed as a time of relief. The fact is, you’re just as susceptible to serious illness in summer as you are in any other season.
This is why it’s vitally important to get your A/C inspected, ideally before the start of intense heat, to deliver the relief it should.
Here are some common summertime health issues your SMART-managed A/C can help mitigate.
ALLERGY SYMPTOM RELIEF
Summertime allergies from pollen, mold, or insect bites or stings are also common in a hotter outdoor environment. Many flowers still bloom in the summer and pollen production is high. Unfortunately, this can cause those with even mild allergies to sneeze, sniff and itch throughout the summer. We don’t want you to become a recluse and stay inside all day, but your home should provide some refuge from allergy misery.
Your A/C can ease allergy symptoms and may even be specially modified by adding air purification equipment to improve the quality of your home’s air. Keeping your windows closed also increases its effectiveness.
A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
Your air conditioner can also save you some zzz’s. As the temperature rises, sleep quality diminishes. Research shows that the human body sleeps best in temperatures of 60 to 67°F. The right temperature can even help you stay asleep and leave you more refreshed in the morning. To keep your body healthy and well rested in the heat, make sure your air conditioner is in peak condition and can achieve that temperature.
Heart Health
July is the American Heart Association’s Summer Heart Health Month! Heat-related illness, like heat exhaustion (typically marked by headaches, dizziness, and fainting) can be prevented with the right precautions. The elderly, children, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases are most at risk, but that doesn’t mean someone with no history of heart problems can’t experience heat-induced issues. Especially as our activity levels tend to increase over the summer, it’s important to stay aware of what your body is telling you.
Other than drinking lots of water, taking consistent breaks from activity, and dressing for the heat, ensure your A/C is as energy efficient as possible to give you a cool environment, and shelter you from extreme temperatures that stress your body.
The SMART Solution
SMART is cool for summer.
If you are struggling to keep your home cool this summer, you may need professional help. An HVAC system issue is not always DIY! We can assist in keeping your system leak-free, detect abnormally low air pressure, clean tough-to-reach components, measure strange electricity usage, and replenish low refrigerant levels as necessary. Ask your SMART contractor if you might need a complete system replacement that could save you in energy costs for summers to come!
