Well, the Fourth of July has passed us and now we move into the second half of summer. Which, if you live on the southern coast - is the hottest, most humid, make-you-wish-for-fall season of them all...though we still love it! But don't worry, we've come up with a list of 10 cool ways to beat the heat on your porch this summer. 
Plants
In growing plants, water is continuously evaporating from the surface of leaf cells exposed to air. The water released is replaced by water absorbed from the soil - which is typically shaded and a good bit cooler than the ambient temperature. The cool water travels from the soil, through the plant and to the leaf's surface where it is turned into a gas through the process of evaporation and released into the air. This process is called transpiration. So, not only will plants purify the air, and liven up your porch, they will also help bring the surrounding area's temperature down!
Outdoor appliances radiate heat
Do you have an outdoor fridge on your porch? Or maybe a TV? A Radio that's always plugged in? Be wary and beware the radiant heat these appliances put out and your placement of them. LED televisions put out the least amount of heat, LCD's and Plasmas though, they release quite a good bit of radiant heat and could easily boost the ambient temperature by several degrees and fridges can be much worse!
Cut back on alcohol
Alcohol is a diuretic, it will dehydrate you while simultaneously interfering with your body's ability to regulate its own temperature. If you didn't know, heat exhaustion is caused by dehydration. But to make matters even worse, Alcohol and warm weather also dilate your blood vessels, making you way more susceptible to passing out.
Concrete patios absorb and radiate heat
Concrete surfaces that have absorbed too much heat can have a dire effect on comfort, environment and energy use. When outdoor concrete surfaces absorb UV rays from the sun, they release them into the atmosphere through what is referred to as "Heat Island Effect." This effect is something we all learned intuitively as children, attempting to walk on the asphalt in our bare feet or that hot run on the concrete by the pool. The heat that ends up trapped in the concrete can keep the concrete warm for hours into the evening, which is nice during the cooler months, but miserable during the warmer months.
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Caffeine
Just like alcohol, caffeinated drinks are another drink to be wary of when out in the heat of summer. Caffeine dehydrates you similar to alcohol but to a much lesser extent. Yet, studies have found several links between caffeine use and heat illness, especially in higher doses. So, in retrospect, your sweet tea is probably no problem at all, but that refreshing iced coffee may be working against you this summer.
Create Shade
Its pretty common sense, but sometimes things are so obvious we look right past them. Plant some trees, hang up a solar screen, even some netting will do wonders the ambient temperature of your porch during the day.
LED Lights
Incandescent light bulbs create light by heating a metal coil inside the bulb up to 4000 degrees! The heat makes the filament white-hot, thus, producing light. Halogen light bulbs use the same method and because they both generate light through heat, naturally, they put out of a ton of it! Approximately 90% of the energy they consume is used to generate heat. Fluorescent light bulbs use an entirely different method to produce light and use approximately 30% of the energy they consume generating heat. LED lights, despite marketing claims, still generate heat (as does every electrical appliance) but they are - by far - the most heat efficient light source available. So be sure to check those hanging porch-lights and make sure they aren't making your summer any hotter than it has to be!
Create a Cross Breeze With Fans
Similar to how obvious shade is, fans are equally obvious. But less obvious is the concept of a cross breeze. Consider this - would you like to circle around the same ol' batch of warm air you've been exhaling into for the last hour? Or would you prefer to have fresh air being pulled in and old air blasted out? As tempting as it is to point all the fans at you on a hot summers day, it may be in your interest to have on pulling air into your porch and one blasting air out. Have the fan that pulls air in set as low to the ground as possible with the fan that pushes air out as high as possible (heat rises). This can have a significant effect on your comfort!
*All images from Pinterest
