Summers get hot. And more and more, they stay that way well into September, then start the process all over again in April. As summers become longer and hotter, keeping your home energy efficient and, more importantly, comfortable, can get difficult – especially in the garage. The good news is, you don’t necessarily have to shell out and add an entire HVAC extension to your garage to regulate its temperature more effectively. There are some little habits you can pick up that will help ensure you don’t have a heat stroke every time you walk into your garage in the dead of August.

Why is My Garage So Hot in the First Place?

There are a few reasons your garage is a hot box:

• Location: If your garage door faces West or South, your garage is more susceptible to mid and late-day heat and sun.
• Cars: Was your vehicle still hot from running when you parked it in the garage?
• Insulation: An uninsulated garage will let the heat in and trap it there.
• Colors: Is your garage a dark color? If so, it’s absorbing heat from the sun at a higher rate.
• Ventilation: Garages with no form of ventilation like windows or fans will trap heat and keep it there.

How Do I Cool My Garage without Installing AC?

The measures you can take to cool your garage are essentially about cancelling out any and all of the reasons why your garage is hot:

• Dehumidifiers can make the garage feel cooler – dry heat is less unpleasant than humid heat.
• Don’t use your garage during the hottest hours of the day.
• Insulate your garage and garage door.
• Keep the clutter out of your garage.
• Let your car cool off before pulling into the garage and/or keep the garage door open for a while after parking your car inside.
• Open windows or other doors to create a cross breeze.
• Open your overhead garage door to let the hot air out.

• Paint your garage, home and garage door in light colors.
• Upgrade the ventilation system in the garage and invest in a couple box fans.

Any or all of these ideas are great for low-cost garage cooling, which, in turn, will lower your cooling cost inside your home as well. Though, while these methods are all somewhat effective, we’ll admit there’s no better way to cool a space than with air conditioning. It’s more to budget but less to bother. Whatever you choose, now you’ve got the tools to make your garage a way nicer room to use during the hot months.