Tips to Keep Your Manufactured Home Cool This Summer

Tips to Keep Your Manufactured Home Cool This Summer

Parts of the western United States endured a markedly cold and wet winter this year, with some regions registering precipitation levels not seen in two decades. Ski seasons across the West have been extended into late spring-early summer and drought concerns have eased in California.

That said, everyone out West knows exactly what the coming months will bring – weeks of uninterrupted sunshine, light winds and daily highs running to 100 degrees and beyond. Those conditions traditionally pose challenges for owners of manufactured homes, as blazing summer days can turn even the most energy-efficient unit into an oppressive oven. Central air conditioning and window units can help ameliorate the problem but fortunately there also are simple steps you can take this summer to keep your living space and energy bills comfortable.

Avoid Generating Heat: Sometimes, keeping your manufactured home cool is about what you don’t do. When the temperature outside starts to rise, avoid running appliances that increase the temperature inside. Dishwashers, for example, use heat to dry their contents, as do clothes dryers. When it comes to dinner, skip the oven by opting for outdoor grilling or microwave cooking. Also bear in mind that incandescent light bulbs generate substantial heat; keep lights turned off when you can or switch to cooler CFL or LED bulbs.

Moving Air: In summer, it always feels cooler to get air moving across your skin, so make ready use of box and/or ceiling fans. Many ceiling fans spin both counterclockwise and clockwise depending on the season; you want counterclockwise for summer. Also, it makes sense to monitor air temperature inside and outside your home to determine when opening the windows will provide maximum relief.

Throwing Shade: A beautiful sunbeam pouring into a room looks cozy and cheery, but it also makes the room hot. To prevent unwanted heat from coming in through your windows, it’s best to cover them. You have plenty of options available, such as room-darkening curtains, exterior awnings over the windows or tinted window reflection film. This last is particularly effective in cooling your home, with data revealing film reflects away up to 70 percent of the sun’s heat.

Coat the Roof: Another strategy for keeping your manufactured home cool this summer is to apply a reflective roof coating to redirect the sun’s rays. Most homeowners opt for an aluminized asphalt roof coating because it is the easiest to apply and can block 60 percent of solar rays. Another other option is a white elastomeric roof coating that can reflect 70 to 85 percent of the sun’s rays. You can apply this coating to a metal roof directly but will need to prime an asphalt roof before installation. All coatings come with the caveat that they can make your unit colder in the winter. As a result, they are best reserved for those who live in mild climates year-round.

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At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.