Those hot summer days can be brutal, especially when the sun comes beating down through your windows. Even with your AC on full blast, it can feel like your home isn't getting any colder. 

One homeowner produced a simple hack for this that can help you beat the heat during even the hottest summer days.

The scoop

A homeowner in Tucson, Arizona, shared their home cooling hack in a Reddit post in the subreddit group r/Tucson. "Heat hack for my east facing window," the title read. 

In the image, the window is covered with a piece of acoustic foam that is blocking out the sun. 

"I've got a cellular shade on the other side of that or my HOA neighborhood would be fining me," the OP wrote. "In all honesty, though, various types of radiant barriers work really well on reflecting the heat away. They are not a panacea, but I think they do a lot more work here compared to more temperate climates."

How it's helping

Tucson is one of the hottest cities in the U.S., reaching temperatures as high as 117 degrees Fahrenheit. In that type of heat, it takes a lot of energy to keep the interior of your house cool.

The average American household spends about $1,346 each year on air conditioning and space heaters alone, with about 19% of total energy usage going to AC systems. 

By covering your windows with foam like this, you can save money on electric bills by reducing your energy usage while keeping your home cooler. Not to mention, it is much more comfortable to have protection against such strong summer rays.

In colder climates, the acoustic foam or insulation could also help heating efficiency by reducing the heat escaping through windows or drafts.

With proper insulation throughout your entire home, you can cut energy usage by as much as 20%. As a bonus, this helps reduce pollution from energy generation.

There are other hacks to keep your home cool, too. One homeowner uses weatherproofing tape on their window sills to keep heat and AC from escaping. Another uses insulation sleeves to protect their HVAC tubes and keep their energy bills low.

What everyone's saying

Some of the commenters also found luck with this hack.

"I did this," one wrote. "It helped a lot."

Others shared their own home cooling hacks.

"I used to use a car windshield shade," one commenter said. "It worked amazing."

Others suggested thermal shields, insulation foam from Home Depot, and even Styrofoam.

One engineer suggested using a lighter-colored material. "Black is going to absorb the light, which will be converted to heat," they said. "White will reflect the light, so less energy gets converted to heat."

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