Keeping Cool Without Air Conditioning

 

The price of electricity has gone up quite a bit in recent years. Even if your home has central air conditioning, you may not want to use it in order to save money. Or if your home doesn’t have it at all, read on to find out how to stay cool when it’s hot outside.

The Air Outside

When the day is cool, like in the evening or morning, keep the windows open to let the air in. Then when the air starts warming up, close all of the windows and doors to keep your cooler air in, and the warmer air out.

Window Coverings

Make sure that all sun facing windows have thick window treatments. If you have drapes, make certain they’re lined. It helps also to have sheers to block the strong sun from getting through.
Having wood blinds will protect you the most followed by metal and plastic slats.
Have some large plants in pots that you can move in front of the curtains as they will absorb a lot of the sunshine.

Using Fans

Ceiling fans can create a pleasant breeze to cool a room significantly, but ceiling fans should be placed where they can keep people cool rather than a room. And make sure you have it turning in the correct direction to provide a downdraft. Turn the fan off when you leave the room since you won’t need it to keep you cool.
Use standalone fans and a water spritzer to cool yourself as well.
And, in the evening when you open up the house, set one fan at one end of the house to pull in cold air. Put another fan in the opposite end of the house to push out the hot air, and you have a wind tunnel to get cooler air in and warmer air out.

Other Tips

Keeping the lights and other electrical appliances off will also help reduce the ambient temperature. Also, incandescent bulbs run hotter than fluorescent or LED bulbs.
Plant trees and shrubs strategically to provide lots of shade.
Ensure that your home is well insulated.
Look into adding awnings or porch roofs.
Check out films that are attached to the outside of a window that reflect light and heat.
Look into investing in a toaster oven, rice cooker, electric pressure cooker or slow cooker in order to reduce using the oven or stove.
And don’t forget to drink a lot of ice water.