I recently bought an average size house of typical stick frame

Insulated blackout curtains on all windows.

Switch to LED bulbs (incandescents put out 95% heat, plus you save on electric).

Check all weatherstripping.

Add insulation in the attic.

Get a programmable thermostat.

Get an insulating blanket for your water heater.

Once upon a time you could just open all the windows and enjoy a breeze but the lack of windows in modern houses does not allow for good crossbreezes.

>>1142307
Hang shading outside the house, especially over the windows. There are a million ways. Awnings are popular.

Close your blinds/curtains during the day. Not all blinds are equal. Google it.

Whole house fans really help cool the house down once the cooler evening temps set in.

Attic fans, on the other hand, generally hurt as much as they help. Passive attic ventilation (unless you have a sealed attic) is very important, though.

As is insulation. Adding some to your attic helps year round.

Place large furniture items (bookcases, dressers, etc) against outside walls. They act as extra insulation. Built-in bookshelves especially.

>>1142307
What kind of heating and cooling do you currently have?

>>1142307
>78°
Wat?

>>1142330
25.5 degrees for you foreign types.

>>1142329
It's a new Trane heat pump/natural gas furnace. IIRC the gas only turns on when it gets below 40 outside.

It's supposed to be highly efficient.

>>1142332
That's not what I meant. 78° wouldn't be comfortable at all except maybe in the winter, but IMHO that's still to hot.
Most people I know keep it 68 - 70°
>>1142511
That's a very efficient unit. Especially with a programmable thermostat like others have mentioned.

>>1142307
what about a reflective exterior?
mirrors can bounce of a lot of heat.
metal is long lasting and can be rather easy to install as outer paneling it is also reflective .
overhangs limit the light getting in so less air getting heated

>>1142558
It's all relative, even 50 feels great after you've been working in -30 for 4 hours. 78 feels fine if the heat index is 110. 68 is great though because you won't be killed by the humidity. OP probably doesnt have the money to either install or run central air. I only spend about $40 a month to run my AC in the summer though, compared to $200 for the furnace it aint shit.

But 68 is ideal for most people, just not always viable.

>>1142307
SUP BRO! Southeast kansas here. Growing uo in the oil field and bucking hay bales i feel your pain.

You can have 8 window units in a drafty shithole like mine but if u got a fat stack of cash or wanna take out a fucking equity loan get new windows.

Used to sell them in wichita.

It's pretty amazing i never really even thaught about it.

We sokd some kind of gold plated fucking $1,000 each windows but wuality double pane windows will help a lot.

Also be damned sure you get them with a "low-e" coating.

No idea wtf it is but its fancy writong for saing tinted windowa i think.

Also, dig up the biggest cottonwoods you can. Put em next to your trees

Mutherfuckers grow like weeds and will help till whatever u planted grows, then chop the annoying mutherfuckers down so your neighbors dont hate u.

You anywhere near southeast kansas? I'll buy you a beer tonight

>>1142558
Mutherfucker i hate my blue flame heaters so fucking much.


Tickticktickticktick pop pop tickticktick. Fml

>>1142586
Fucks sake i fat thumbed the send button. Good luck reading that shit.

>>1142575
>OP probably doesnt have the money to either install or run central air.
OP said he had a heat pump plus gas furnace. If he's already got the A coil then he probably has central air as well right?

>>1142586
>Also be damned sure you get them with a "low-e" coating.
>No idea wtf it is but its fancy writong for saing tinted windowa i think.

Low E is a low emissivity coating. Basically it's a coating that emits low levels of radiant heat.

Basically it blocks infrared radiation from passing through the glass.