As large swaths of the country are expected to experience higher-than-average temperatures this summer, the temptation to run the air conditioner grows ever stronger. Giving in can be costly if you haven’t made the switch to solar power. Fortunately, there are plenty of time-tested ways to keep your cool without using a lot of electricity. We’ve put together a list of ten of them.
- Keep shades closed
Curtains, blinds or shades will prevent the sun from heating a room. Certain types of window coverings are designed specifically to reflect sunlight and insulate a room from heat.
- Ceiling fans
Strategically-placed ceiling fans will help circulate the air, pushing cool air down towards the floor and drawing warm air up to the ceiling. In the summer, your ceiling fan should be set to spin counter-clockwise, whereas in winter, it should spin clockwise to push warm air towards the floor.
- Keep interior doors open
Leaving all the doors inside your house open will help the overall temperature balance out, rather than creating hotspots. This creates airflow so that warm and cool air can move around freely.
- Create a cross breeze
Depending on the layout of your house, you can open certain windows to create a cross breeze. The use of a box fan can help speed the process by moving cool air from the shady side of the house toward the side that is exposed to more direct sunlight.
- Change your bedding
Swap cotton sheets for cool, breathable silk. Silk bedsheets wick sweat from your body better than cotton, allowing you to cool off faster.
- Pour a cold drink
Sometimes the best cure for a hot house is an ice-cold drink. Staying hydrated is the most important thing you can do to cool off in the summer, and a cold beverage will reduce your internal body temperature as well.
- Switch to CFLs
If you still use incandescent lightbulbs, you’re essentially running little heaters in every room. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) are cool to the touch even after hours of use, and won’t raise a room’s temperature.
- Skip the oven
Who wants to be stuck in a kitchen with a roasting-hot oven when it’s already unbearably hot outside? Summertime calls for cool foods, like fruits, vegetables and salads. If you have to cook something, do it on the grill outside and keep your home cool.
- Soak a towel
Hanging a damp towel in an open window facing the sun will create an evaporative cooling effect. As the sun heats up the towel, the water evaporates and cools the air flowing through it. Use a light-colored towel for best results.
- Open all your windows at night
Once the sun goes down and the temperature drops, open all your windows to let the warm air out and the cool air in. Before the outside temperature starts rising again the next day, close all your windows and pull your shades to keep the air inside cool as long as possible.
If you’re interested in other ways to cool your house in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware without raising your electricity bill, TerraSol Energies is here to help. Contact us today for more information.