8 Ways to Keep Cool Until End of Summer

August 19, 2022 by

The highest of temperatures are hopefully past us in New York City, but summer is not over yet! Sometimes even small changes can have a huge impact on the effort it requires to stay cool. We rounded up eight ways to keep your cool until the end of the summer

Check Insulation

Lack of insulation and poor quality insulation both allow unwanted summer heat to seep indoors, particularly in upper areas of the home like the attic. Upgrading the insulation in your home can stabilize indoor temperature both in the summer and the winter. While you are checking your insulation, look for leaks along the exterior of your home which let valuable conditioned air escape year-round. Air leaks are especially common around doors, windows, electrical outlets, recessed lighting, wiring penetrations, and attic hatches.

Maintain the A/C Unit

Over time, air conditioning units can accumulate dust and dirt in key areas, causing build-up that can drain the efficiency of your unit by roughly 5 percent each year. Skipping maintenance regularly forces your air conditioner to work harder and also increases your risk of having to make a costly repair. Schedule preventative maintenance for your system and if it has been more than 3 months since you changed the filter, do that now! The dirtier your air filter, the harder the system has to work to keep your home cool.

Rearrange the Furniture

If you have furniture blocking your HVAC registers, your system will have to work harder to get your home to the desired temperature. To keep air flowing freely, take the time to move your furniture around to provide ample room around all your intake and outtake registers.

Turn on Ceiling Fans

A ceiling fan or other circular fan can make you feel six or seven degrees cooler via the wind-chill effect. It is important to know that unlike air-conditioning, a fan doesn’t actually make the air in a room or space cooler. Instead, the fan cools the occupants. So remember to turn all fans off when no one is enjoying them to reduce electricity use. During the summer, ceiling fans should rotate counterclockwise to push cool air down to the floor.

Close Window Treatments

Sunlight streaming in through the windows is beautiful to look at, but it brings added heat into the home. To keep your cool for the rest of the summer, close curtains, blinds, and shades on the sunny side of your house, especially during peak sunlight hours. Thermal lined shades are especially effective at reducing heat from sunlight.

Run Ventilation Fans

Use kitchen, bathroom, and even laundry room ventilation fans to remove heat and humidity from these areas. Make sure the fans are vented to the outside, not just the attic.

Change the Light Bulbs

Use energy-efficient light bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. ENERGY STAR lighting produces 70 to 90 percent less heat than incandescent bulbs.

Install Energy Efficient Windows

Installing high efficiency windows will not only reduce your cooling costs, it is also one of the surest ways to increase your home’s resale value and build equity. 

At Sentry Window Guards we make it our mission to help keep families safe in New York. For more information regarding our window guard products and our expertise in understanding NYC safety requirements, contact us today!

Filed Under: Summer Home Tips Tagged With: ,

Avoid These 4 Heat-Related Health Problems

June 18, 2017 by

As we officially welcome the summer season this week, we have already experienced temperatures in the 80’s. Health problems caused by too much heat can affect all ages, however children and the elderly are most vulnerable. In adults 50 and older, approximately 200 die each year due to heat-related problems. We know the temperatures will continue to rise, so we urge you to follow our 4 Tips To Keep You Cool and Safe This Summer.

It’s important to recognize when hot weather is making you or a family member sick, and when to seek help. Here are 4 health problems caused by too much heat exposure:

1. DEHYDRATION  

WHAT IT IS: A loss of water in your body. It can be serious if not treated.

WARNING SIGNS: Weakness, headache, muscle cramps, dizziness, confusion, and passing out.

WHAT TO DO: Call your healthcare provider or 911. Meanwhile, drink plenty of water and, if possible a “sports drink”, which contain important salts called “electrolytes.” Among other things, electrolytes play a key role in regulating your heartbeat. Your body loses electrolytes when you’re dehydrated.

2. HEAT STROKE

WHAT IT IS: A very dangerous rise in your body temperature. It can be deadly.

WARNING SIGNS: A body temperature of 103 or higher; red, hot, and dry skin; a fast pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea or vomiting; confusion; and passing out.

WHAT TO DO: Call 911 immediately. Move to a cool, shady place, take off or loosen heavy clothes. If possible, douse yourself with cool water, or put cloths soaked with cool water on your   wrists, ankles, armpits, and neck to lower your temperature. Try and see if you can safely swallow water or drinks such as Gatorade.

Note: If you are caring for someone else who has heat stroke, only give them water or drinks if they are awake and can swallow.

3. HEAT EXHAUSTION

WHAT IT IS: A serious health problem caused by too much heat and dehydration. If not   treated, it may lead to heat stroke (see above).

WARNING SIGNS: Heavy sweating or no sweating, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, paleness, cold or clammy skin, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, fast and weak pulse, fainting.

WHAT TO DO: Without delay, move to a cool, shady place, and drink plenty of cool fluids, such as water or Gatorade. Call 911 without delay if you have high blood pressure or heart problems, or if you don’t feel better quickly after moving to the shade and drinking liquids.

4. HEAT SYNCOPE

WHAT IT IS: Fainting caused by high temperatures.

WARNING SIGNS: Dizziness or fainting.

WHAT TO DO: Lie down and put your feet up, and drink plenty of water and cool fluids   such as Gatorade.

If you know an older adult that lives alone, take a moment and check on them daily, you may save their life.

 

At Sentry Window Guards we make it our business to help keep families safe. Now that you know how to spot and treat heat-related health problems, our wish is for you to never experience one! For more information regarding our window guard products and our experience and leadership in understanding NYC safety requirements, contact us today!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Child Safety, Safety Tips, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Air Conditioners and Window Guards in New York: What you need to know!

March 8, 2016 by

You can feel it, the first hints of spring are coming to the Northeast and in no time at all it’ll be summer and hot!  You have small children living in your house or apartment, love the safety of window guards but need to keep your residence cool through the blistering heat of a NYC summer. How can you have the best of both worlds? We’ll tell you!

You should always have at least two ways to exit your home or apartment in the event of a fire or an emergency, typically the front door being one exit and a window, balcony/terrace or fire escape as the second mode of egress. An air conditioning unit placed in a window not used as an emergency exit is perfect. If your window air conditioning unit is permanently installed there should be no risk of a child or adult falling from the window.

Stringent rules for NYCHA residents

NYCHA currently installs window guards in all windows, including those leading to a balcony or terrace at no cost to the resident. Only windows that provide access to fire escapes and windows that serve as a secondary exit in a first-floor apartment are the exceptions to this rule.

If a full set of windows guards aren’t installed in your apartment, please contact the Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 immediately.  Upon receipt of your call, we will install window guards in any windows that do not have them.

According to all NYCHA Lease Agreement’s, residents must cooperate and assist the NYCHA to comply with New York City window guard laws concerning their installation and maintenance.  In addition, the Annual Window Guard Survey must be completed by all residents and occupants.  If according to the completed survey children 10 years old or younger occupy, reside or frequent the residence, window guards must be installed by law and you cannot refuse them.

Residents and occupants who fail to comply may be subject to penalties and/or termination or tenancy.

NYCHA residents using air conditioners in place of window guards

Air conditioners can be an acceptable alternative to window guards if they are properly and permanently installed and cannot be removed seasonally. You must complete a form, have it executed by the Housing Manager or their designee, and notify NYCHA within three days after installation. All air conditioners are to be installed at the tenant’s expense. There are further stipulations as to the exact method of installation, they can be found here:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/residents/air-conditioners-window-guards-notice.shtml

If at any time during an inspection it is deemed that your air conditioning unit is unsafe and presents a danger to others for any reason, it will be removed immediately and a window guard installed in its place.

Additionally, if you should remove any air conditioner a maintenance worker must be present and scheduled during normal business hours so that they may install window guards immediately after the units removal.

For more information, please follow this link- http://www.nyc.gov

Filed Under: Tips on Window Guards Tagged With: