As the heavy summer heat envelops your entire being, it’s natural for your first thought to be to crank up the AC. However, this impulsive solution isn’t the best – neither for your electricity bills, nor the environment.
But there’s actually a number of surprisingly easy ways to cool down both your house and yourself during the hot summer days without excessive AC usage, and sometimes without even using it at all. Texas Electricity Ratings and Green Mountain show you how.
Smart Use of Your Windows and Blinds
This might seem like simplistic of a solution, and perhaps that’s why many people overlook it.
Keeping windows and blinds closed during the day and open during the night can significantly cool your house down, or at the very least prevent it from becoming a greenhouse. If the darkness isn’t to your liking, apply this principle at least to the windows facing west and south.
Blackout curtains are also something to definitely consider, as they stop any kind of light, and respectively a lot of the heat that comes with it.
If you’re worried about the traffic keeping you up at night with the windows open, ear plugs are an easy fix.
Open Doors
Heat alone isn’t nearly as dreadful as the kind we associate with summer days on which even breathing feels like work. Still air makes heat almost tangible.
Something as simple as keeping doors throughout your home open to generate some draft can make a tremendous difference to the way you feel. Just make sure your doors are held open by something, as otherwise the draft can cause them to slam so hard, there can even be broken glass.
Fans
Fans are underrated, perhaps because they seem to plain amidst the army of technology that’s usually at our disposal. However, they can be a viable alternative to an AC, especially on an individual level.
While fans can’t do much about cooling your home down, they can cool youdown significantly, often in a much milder and more seamless way than ACs that give many people a cold or sore body parts and throat.
Plus, placed strategically, they can practically act as an extra open window or door and help create a current.
A handy trick that basically works as a fan upgrade is placing a bowl of ice, or something else that emanates freezing cold, in front of the fan, thus creating an icy breeze that is magically refreshing.
Set Ceiling Fans to Rotate Counterclockwise
Most people don’t know that which way your ceiling fan rotates isn’t a matter of superstition, but has everything to do with the season. It’s a widely established fact that when they spin counterclockwise, ceiling fans push the cool air down toward you.
Use Bathroom and Kitchen Fans
This is another practice that tends to be overlooked. Hot showers and cooking can really heat up your house, and when it’s already hot outside, every extra degree can drive you over the edge.
This is why you should leave your bathroom and kitchen fans working long after you’re done showering or cooking in order to get all of the hot air out. In fact, some people even leave them on altogether as they spend little energy.
Cool Your Bed Down
This may sound extravagant, but this is precisely why it’s so effective.
Sticking your sheets in the fridge for a few hours is an absolute game-changer. If that seems a little too radical, a bottle of frozen water can do wonders for keeping your feet cool.
Sleep Low
That may not be possible in certain scenarios, but if you’re your living situation allows it, you should really consider sleeping low. By low, we mean anything from couches, to basements, to even putting your mattress on the floor.
Grill
Your oven is clearly a major source of heat, and every time you use it, your home will naturally get warmer.
Every time you grill outside, you spare your home the extra heat. Plus, having a barbecue is practically one of the symbols of summer.
Change Incandescent Lights
Incandescent lights sure give you a nice warm feeling, and not just figuratively, but also literally. It may not seem like much, but if your entire home is powered by such lights, getting rid of them temporarily will lower the temperature in your home.
Night Washing
Laundry machines, driers, and glass washer all emanate heat as they practically use hot water and air to operate. Using them at night will make their effects more unnoticeable.
Programmable Thermostat
This device gives you the flexibility you need to optimize your AC usage.
For example, most people really need the AC when falling asleep, but because of that, they leave it on all night long. Similar scenarios occur during the day as well, when you’re not in the house.
With programmable thermostats, you can make sure your AC is working only when it needs to be.
As you can see, there are some creative ways to lower your AC usage, even at times when you view it as a source of life.