I do the same with the silicone around the windows
It always feels weird when I look out my window to see the shimmering heat rising from my driveway. If that’s not an indication that the summer heat is a scorcher, then I don’t know what is. Seeing something like that just makes me want to sit tight inside the HVAC comfort of my home. There is just no way to get through this type of summer without efficient and reliable HVAC. I know that in my younger days, I had a few apartments that had HVAC cooling units that were not at all adequate. There were some long days and nights because of those poor heating & cooling units. Fortunately, that is no longer the case and we can deal with the heat given our excellent HVAC system. But, it can get really expensive to cool your home if you’re not careful. The utility costs of the HVAC unit can be staggering if left unchecked. That’s why I so a few simple things in order to keep the cooling costs as low as possible. Making sure the home is nice and tight is a big help. That means it might take a bit of an effort but not much really. Every spring, I go outside and make sure the I caulk any gap in the exterior of the house. Same goes for the attic perimeter as well. Then, I make sure the weather stripping around the doors are in good shape and form a tight seal. I do the same with the silicone around the windows. After that, it’s just a matter of mitigating direct sunlight heating and maintaining consistent HVAC settings.