Should You Run the AC or Open the Windows on a Smoky Denver Day?
Whether to run the AC or open the windows on a given Denver day comes down to outdoor air quality, wildfire proximity, and the season, not a single fixed rule.
Joe recommends checking the outdoor air quality rating in a weather app before opening anything up. If there’s a fire nearby, or even one many miles away, smoke can still travel into Denver, so windows should stay closed. On clear days with good air quality readings, especially in spring, opening up is a great option.
For a middle-ground solution, attic fans like “Quiet Cool” units run quietly and pull cooled air through the home when windows are open on the lower level, working best in the early morning or late afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can homeowners check if it’s safe to open windows?
Check the outdoor air quality rating in a weather app and look for wildfire activity nearby, since smoke from a fire many miles away can still reach Denver.
What is a Quiet Cool attic fan?
A Quiet Cool attic fan runs quietly while pulling cooled air through the home when windows are open on the lower level, working best in the early morning or late afternoon.
Full Transcript
Today we’re gonna be talking about the age old question, windows open or AC on. It’s all gonna depend on wildfires, time of year season, ozone alerts, stuff like that.Let’s talk about it today. Now what I would recommend is look at your outdoor air. What’s the quality rating could pull it up your weather app and see what’s your outdoor air quality is rated at today. Is there a fire near you?
Obviously, you don’t want your windows open when you’re just letting all that smoke into your home. Or if there’s smoke in the air, fire can be miles out, but that smoke travels into Denver and we really want to keep those windows closed and keep your air clean inside your home.
On top of that, when it’s springtime, the air is beautiful outside, you don’t have a really bad outdoor air quality readings. Yeah, open up those windows. Really good solution for that is attic fans. Now we have attic fans that are called quiet cools.
You never even know they’re running, but they cool down your house perfectly. You keep the windows open in the basement or on the first floor, and it’ll suck all that cooled air into the home. Is really best for the early mornings or late afternoons. Stay tuned for next week’s video.