11 Garage Cooling Ideas | Options & Solutions

These 10 garage cooling ideas will give you ways to make your garage a little cooler during the summer or when it’s starting to get hot outside.

1. Keep your garage door opened

Keep your garage door opened

Keep your garage door open. Keeping your garage door open slightly will allow hot air to exit your garage. The cost to do this is free. According to Aireserv, “The easiest and most cost-effective way to cool a garage is to allow hot, trapped air to escape by opening the garage door or some windows. The airflow will also help keep the air temperature cool.”

2. Install a garage mini split ac unit

Garage ac units are a great idea to keep your garage cool. Many experts warn against installing an AC unit in your garage without installing insulation first.

According to AZCentral, “Many garages are not insulated, so a regular air conditioning unit wouldn’t be much help.

As you can see, simply installing a cooling mechanism will not be able to cool your garage by itself. Without insulation, you will be running the garage ac unit all the time just to try to keep it cool in your garage.

3. Install a garage radiant barrier

Garage attic insulation, also known as garage radiant barrier, can block the heat from penetrating the roof of your garage. According to a user on Meetup, “The average room temperature before the installation would run about 105 degrees on the hottest day, after the installation the temp is running around 85 to 90 degrees during the hottest part of the day.“ Installing garage radiant barrier will cost you around $500 for a single car garage to $800 for a double car garage. In general, it costs about $2 per sqft to install garage radiant barrier and attic insulation.

4. Install garage door insulation

Garage door insulation will help keep out of your garage. Experts recommend that you also insulate other parts of your garage as well such as the attic and walls for full garage cooling effectiveness. On average, garage door insulation costs about $300 for a single bay one car garage (single bay), $600 for a two-car garage (double bay), and $900 for a triple car garage (triple bay).

5. Install a garage ventilation fan

A garage ventilation fan will circulate the air in the attic of the garage much like an attic fan does for a home.

6. Install an attic vent

If you are planning on installing any type of insulation in your garage, you are going to need to install attic vents as well. Not doing so will make your garage attic feel like an oven.

7. Install a garage ceiling fan

If you want a cheaper option vs installing a garage ac unit, installing a garage ceiling fan will be much more affordable. As long as you insulate your garage, a garage ceiling fan should cool it down pretty nicely. However, if you live in one of the really sunny states like Arizona, a ceiling fan isn’t going to do you much good. According to GarageLiving, “One of the cheapest garage cooling solutions you can use is a simple oscillating household fan.”

8. Use a rolling evaporation cooler

However, a user on Garage Journal Forum said, “I tried one of the roll-around evap coolers, but found it only helped if I was right in front of it. It also just recirculated the same old stale air.”

9. Use a Bowl of Ice and a Fan

All you need is a fan, ice, and a large mixing bowl, 3 things nearly anyone will already have in their home. Setting the large bowl of ice in front of an oscillating fan will cool your garage down. Learn about this garage cooling idea on Apartment Therapy.

10. Install a window ac unit

If you have a window in your garage you can install a window ac unit. If you are trying to cool a garage with no windows, you can still install it but there will be some work needed to make the hole. This will only help cool a small garage. Only a garage mini split will cool the garage to its full potential.

According to GarageLiving, “Without air conditioning in your garage, its temperature can be as much as 5-10° C (10-18° F) warmer than the outside temperature.”

11. Clean out Your Garage

Cleaning out your garage will allow for proper airflow, thus cooling your garage down more effectively. Storage racks and other types of garage cabinetry will help enable the air in your garage to move freely.