Preparing Your Home for Extreme Heat in Chilliwack
On June 28, 2021, Chilliwack reached 43.7 °C, smashing its old record of 38.0 °C. Heat like that is rare, but planning ahead makes the next heat wave easier and safer.
Request an HVAC technicianKnow your hottest rooms
Upstairs bedrooms and west-facing rooms heat up first. Plan cooling for those rooms before anywhere else.
Cooling options
A ducted heat pump, central AC on the furnace or ductless heads all cool a home. Portable units help in one room but struggle in extreme heat.
Size and service early
Book installations and tune-ups in spring, before the first hot stretch fills contractors' schedules.
Block the sun
Close blinds and curtains on sunny sides early in the day. Exterior shades and awnings work even better.
Attic insulation
A well-insulated, ventilated attic keeps heat from pouring down through ceilings.
Night flushing
When nights cool off, open windows and use fans to push hot air out, then close up in the morning.
A cool room
If the whole house can't stay cool, keep one room cool for sleeping and for anyone vulnerable.
Check on others
Older people and those with health conditions are most at risk. Check on neighbours and family.
Power use
During heat waves, everyone runs cooling. Avoid running big appliances in the afternoon peak.
Next
Pets
Animals suffer in extreme heat too. Keep pets in the coolest room and make sure they have water.
After the heat
Book a check if the system ran nonstop for days; heat waves are hard on capacitors and fan motors.
Basement retreat
Basements stay cooler in a heat wave. A basement room can serve as a cool space for sleeping on the worst nights.
Fans
Fans help people feel cooler but don't cool the air. In extreme heat, use them alongside cooling rather than instead of it.
More heating and cooling guides
Request an HVAC technician
Repairs, replacements and new installs. Tell us what's going on and we'll pass it straight to a heating and cooling contractor, who will call you to go over the job and give you a quote.
- Heat pump, furnace and AC repairs, replacements and new installs
- Chilliwack, Sardis, Yarrow, Agassiz and Harrison
- Get a quote before any work starts
Heating or cooling trouble in Chilliwack?
Send a request and an HVAC technician will get in touch. Requests answered 7 days a week.
Prefer email? [email protected]