Cooling Your Garage this Summer: Tips and Solutions

By Anne Fonda

If you have a larger garage, chances are good you use it for garage storage and parking a car, but you’re also looking to take advantage of that extra space. Perhaps you want to have a workshop. Or maybe turn a corner into a home gym or play area for the kids. Or you’re ready to completely convert the garage into additional living space.

But the garage is so hot in the summer! No one wants to be out there for more than a few minutes. Before you can use the space for anything, you need to regulate the temperature so you’re not dripping in sweat with the smallest exertion. The good news is, you have options.

In this article you will learn about:

• Why Garage Cooling Is Important
• Natural Cooling Methods
• Garage Insulation
• Garage Air Conditioning Options

Ready? Let’s go.

Garage cooling, whether it’s an attached garage or detached garage, is important for several reasons, especially if you live in an area that experiences extreme heat. Here’s why.

• Cooling the garage may make it easier for your HVAC system to maintain indoor temperatures. If you have an attached garage, the wall between your garage and your home absorbs the heat, transferring it inside. Cold air transfers in the winter. A temperature-controlled garage can potentially save you money on heating and cooling costs.
• You protect your belongings in garage storage. Extreme heat (and cold) can damage wood. The high humidity that can come with summer heat can create a breeding ground for mold and mildew. In addition, if you keep a spare refrigerator in your garage, it can struggle to keep things chilled in a hot environment.
• Your comfort is important. You should be able to comfortably use any part of your home, any time of year.
• It gives you an additional selling point if you ever choose to sell your home.

There are some natural cooling methods to lower the temperature in your garage. These can include strategic use of windows and vents to let hot air out. For security reasons, you may not want to open the windows or leave the main garage door cracked open unless you are home and monitoring the situation. But you can add a roof vent specifically to let hot air vent out of the garage.

You can also plant a shade tree to shade the garage. However, it may take years before a newly planted tree will offer much shade. Unfortunately, a tree planted close to your driveway can eventually result in cracked concrete or asphalt caused by a growing root system.

You can try cross-ventilation techniques on days when there is a decent breeze or a cool morning or evening. Leave the main garage door open and prop open a side door to air out the garage when you’re working in the yard or washing your car.

Insulating your garage walls and your garage door can have a big impact on what the garage feels like. If you have a finished garage, you may have insulated garage walls already. If your garage is unfinished but you want to finish it, install fiberglass batt insulation before putting up any drywall.

In addition, you can improve the garage temperature in summer and winter by installing garage door insulation. Review the existing garage door weatherstripping to determine if it should be replaced. If you can see daylight at the sides of the door or underneath, replace the weatherstripping to keep hot outdoor air out in the summer and cold air out in the winter.

If your garage door is in full sun, it can act as a radiator and heat your garage rapidly. Insulating it can help reduce that effect. You can get a garage door insulation kit and modify the garage door as a weekend DIY project. 

If you’re thinking about replacing the main door, you can opt for an insulated garage door. The major manufacturers have them in several styles and colors.

The benefits of insulating your garage are many. They include:

• More comfortable temperature in the garage year-round.
• Less heat and cold transfer to the room above the garage or the room next to the garage.
• Improves property value.
• It will help a garage air conditioning system to operate more efficiently.

Keep reading for more on the best garage air conditioner options.

Unless you have a very high-end home, your HVAC ductwork doesn’t extend into your attached garage. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. Portable air conditioners and window air conditioners can be a hassle or easy to steal. So, what’s the solution?

Enter the mini-split or single-zone ductless system. Installing a mini-split AC unit may well be the best way to cool a garage.  While a ductless air conditioner (single-zone cooling-only unit) for your garage may be a good cooling option, if you want to be comfortable on the coldest days of winter, you should opt for a full mini-split heat pump system.

Ductless HVAC systems provide highly energy-efficient heating and cooling with one or more indoor units connected to an outdoor heat pump. The components connect with refrigerant lines instead of ductwork.  Unlike a traditional HVAC system that stays on 24/7, you can turn the ductless system on or off based on your temperature needs. 

These energy-saving ductless cooling and heating solutions save energy and offer you complete control with a separate thermostat. Is a mini-split system right for you? In this situation, probably. Do your homework, learn about your options, and work with an HVAC company with experience with these systems.

Explore Trane/Mitsubishi’s Best Mini-Splits.

If you use your garage for more than parking the car, installing a ductless mini-split is a great way to provide garage air conditioning, and warmth in the winter if you opt for a full mini-split heat pump system. 

Whether you’ve converted your garage to additional living space or you just want to be comfortable working at your tool bench, your local Trane Comfort Specialist can help you find the right garage cooling solutions. You can count on Trane heating and cooling equipment to offer superior quality, energy efficiency, and reliability.

Anne Fonda, Content Writer

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A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.

She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.

When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.

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