Five Ways to Beat the Heat and Keep Your Arizona Home Cool

One of the best things about living in Arizona is the abundance of sunshine, but when summer temperatures soar, keeping your home cool can become a daily challenge. The good news is that energy-efficient home features and a few simple changes to your routine can help you beat the heat while keeping cooling costs in check throughout the hottest months.

1. A Whole-Home Approach to Energy Efficiency 
Keeping a home cool in Arizona is about more than one feature. Energy-efficient homes are designed with multiple elements that work together to manage indoor temperatures and reduce energy waste.

Shea Homes® builds ENERGY STAR certified homes, which include features such as a well-sealed home, properly installed insulation, high-performance windows, efficient heating and cooling systems, and energy-efficient lighting and appliances. Together, these features can help reduce heat transfer, minimize energy loss, and support more consistent indoor temperatures.

You don't need to live in an ENERGY STAR certified home to apply the same principles. Understanding how different parts of your home affect its overall efficiency can help you identify opportunities to improve comfort and manage energy use.

2. Improve Air Circulation 
Ceiling fans can make a room feel cooler by circulating air throughout the space. While fans don't generally lower a room's temperature, using them alongside your air conditioner can allow you to set the thermostat a little higher while still feeling comfortable, which may help reduce energy use.

Shea Homes communities include prewiring for ceiling fans in select areas. If your home isn't already wired for ceiling fans, consider adding them to frequently used spaces, and turn them off when you leave the room.

Ceiling fans improve comfort and airflow throughout a home. Acclaim at Jorde Farms.

3. Make Insulation Part of your Home Checkup
Your attic can become one of the hottest areas of your home, especially during the summer, and an important part of keeping indoor spaces comfortable. Proper insulation helps slow the transfer of heat into your living spaces, allowing your home to stay cooler, reducing the amount of work on your air conditioner.

Shea Homes uses cathedralized attic insulation, which extends insulation along the roofline to help create a more controlled environment around the home's living spaces. For an existing home, evaluating your attic insulation and adding or replacing it when needed can help improve comfort during Arizona's hottest months.

4. Block the Afternoon Sun
In Arizona, direct sunlight can quickly heat rooms on the west and southwest sides of your home. Closing blinds, shades, or curtains during the hottest parts of the day can help reduce heat entering through your windows.

When replacing older windows, consider energy-efficient options such as dual-pane windows with low-emissivity, or low-E, glass. These windows are designed to reduce heat transfer while still allowing natural light into your home. Shea Homes uses dual-pane low-E windows as part of its approach to energy efficiency. Strategically placed shade trees and landscaping can also provide additional protection from the afternoon sun.

Energy-efficient windows, shades and natural tree cover can help keep your home cool. Skymark at Northpointe.

5. Make Small Changes to Your Summer Routine
The way you use your home throughout the day can affect how much heat it generates and how much energy you use to stay cool. Run heat-generating appliances such as your dishwasher, oven and clothes dryer during cooler parts of the day. If your utility provider offers time-of-use pricing, using appliances during off-peak hours may also help reduce electricity costs.

When temperatures are especially high, consider grilling outdoors or using smaller countertop appliances instead of your oven to avoid adding extra heat indoors. Small changes like these can complement your home's energy-efficient features and help you stay comfortable throughout the summer.

Staying cool during Arizona’s summer months starts with understanding how your living space works as a whole. From energy-efficient features to simple changes in your daily routine, thoughtful choices can help you stay comfortable and use less energy during the hottest months. With the right approach, you can keep beating the heat and enjoy more of what makes Arizona the place to call home.

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