Should I crack my garage door to keep my home cool? How to stay cool as Georgia heats up
Long-range forecasts have consistently called for hotter-than-normal summers, and we've already had some days of 90+ temperatures. Many will be looking for easy and cheap ways to keep cool.
Similar to cracking the window, you may be tempted to crack open your garage. Whether or not this is a good idea is up for debate. As described in Angi (formerly known as Angi's List), with the additional ventilation, some fresh air can be let in, slightly cooling the space and make it less stifling. D Bar Garage Doors said it can also dissipate some of the heat that's built up throughout the day.
However, experts on Homes & Gardens pointed out some negatives to doing this, including potential security risks, animals getting in, and potentially damaging your door if it's old. Plus, one HVAC specialist they interviewed said, at the end of the day, it's not an effective way to significantly cool your house.
Here are some things you can do to keep your space cooler that may be more effective long and short term:
Wear light-colored and light-weight clothing.
Drink plenty of ice-cold water.
Close curtains and blinds to keep direct sunlight out. Black out curtains will help with this even more.
Run fans, making sure any overhead fans are spinning counter-clockwise.
Change your A/C filters and keep vents clear.
Close doors and vents of rooms you're not using. But don't close off any rooms that connect to rooms you do use, otherwise you'll block airflow through the area.
Georgia Power recommends keeping your thermostat set to 78 degrees in the summer. The Department of Energy recommends keeping a home warmer than normal when away to avoid unnecessary air conditioning use. It's also worth making sure that your thermostat's fan is set to "Auto" not "On." Otherwise, it will just continuously blowing even when it doesn't need to.
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Georgia summer 2025: Does cracking the garage door keep homes cool?
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