Summer’s almost here and temperatures are heating up … how can you keep cool without using an air conditioner?
As someone who just doesn’t like air conditioning, I know you can save a lot of energy (and money) by choosing other ways to cool your home.
Open and shut
Depending on what the weather is like, you may need to open your windows – or close them.
On hot, hot days, open your windows at night, when it’s cool – and shut them in the morning. When you shut your windows, close the curtains or blinds on the windows that face the sun to keep the heat out.
When your windows are open, try to get a cross breeze to circulate the air. This fresh air will help your health by reducing air pollution in your home. (Did you know that the air inside your home can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside your home?)
Turn on a fan
To cool a room, turn on a ceiling fan – it can reduce the temperature in a room by 10 degrees. (Here’s a money saving tip from Fanimation: Ceiling fans cost 1 cent per hour to operate. Air conditioners cost 43 cents per hour to operate.)
Or, use an oscillating fan for direct cooling breezes.
Turn off the lights
I’ll never forget the last few weeks of school each year – students and teachers could hardly wait for summer vacation to begin. When we weren’t outside for recess or track and field days, we were stuck in sweltering classrooms. The easiest way to cool down was to open every window and turn off the lights – it’s amazing how much cooler the room became.
You can do the same in your own home or office – open the windows and turn off the lights.
In the kitchen
I don’t know about you, but I’m never very hungry in the dog days of summer. When it’s hot out, try to eat cold meals. They’ll cool your body – and not using your oven will keep your kitchen cool, too.
If you’re hankering for a hot, home-cooked meal, though, try grilling out or using a Crock Pot.
H2O
Drink plenty of icy cold water to cool off in the summer. And if possible, go swimming or take a cold shower to cool your body.
How do YOU like to stay cool without air conditioning in the summer?
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My grandma taught me to hang damp towels in the open windows. Instant air conditioning! ;) You can also get a similar effect by clipping a damp towel over the front of a fan (like a box fan or oscillating fan, just be sure the towel cannot get caught or sucked into the back of the fan). They used burlap sacks when she was a girl.
And my grandpa would always lay a quite wet, thin hand towel over the back of his neck when he worked out in the yard on hot summer days. It really helps!
~ Sheila :)
What a GREAT idea your grandma had, Sheila! Thanks so much for sharing!