It is a beautify summers day, I feel so hot, sticky and miserable. It is natural to feel that way since the temperature has been increasing in recent years averaging at about 33 degrees celsius now.
The temperature being this hot will make the rooms inside my house extremely hot. Therefore I would like to take the opportunity to make some suggestion as to how to keep cool without AC indoors.
One of the most important reasons why I decided to try these methods was that I was spending too much money on electric bills.
Firstly I would like to mention some of the strategies I use, why I use them then I will be explaining them in more details as I go along.
Here are some of the things I do to help which includes strategical opening and shutting windows, curtain, and doors on particularly hot days. It will make a world of difference. There is also cookout, the use of a fun, just keeping the room you are in cool.
Here are some of the things you can try to keep the house cool without AC
On hot days, heat comes straight through unprotected windows
Summer is the time of year when it seems as if there was nothing there at all to stop heat from entering your house. You are miserable and want to try a lot of things. But one of those simple answers is to have shade at your north and west facing windows.
This can be done by having awnings or ensuring that a few trees are planted if possible as it will provide shade in summer and heat in winter. You may also consider putting a reflective film on the glass. Although it will work well in summer by keeping out the sun, in the winter it will only reduce the sunlight to your house.
A bit of strategic opening and shutting can make a big difference
You can shut your windows and curtains when the days are hot while opening up the house during the evening when it is cool. You can also close areas of the house that is hard to keep cool and not in use.
Use Natural Light and High Efficiency Lighting
It is import to take advantage of daylighting where possible while using energy efficient light bulbs, such as LEDs, in especially in areas where you use more often. The traditional 100 watt light bulb can produce a increase the heat by 11 degrees per hour in a small room which can be better utilized in winter time when heat is needed.
I will also suggest that you use lighter colour paints in your home. It will reflect more light inside your home which in turn will reduce your need for more lighting and as such reduce heat generation indoors.
Use a fan first
Instead of turning on the cooling unit during these hot summer days. It is more economical to use a fan to help move cool air around the room. Fans are a good money saving tip — they cost little to no money while your air conditioner unit can guzzle a lot of electricity, which is also responsible for a fair amount of carbon pollution.
Your Home Is Too Humid
During particularly hot periods of the year, you will notice that the humidity indoors is very high. If you try these tips then you will feel relieved.
You can use a dehumidifier which helps to remove excess moisture from the air while leaving a cool feeling in these hot temperatures. You can get them at big stores or on Amazon.
Just cool the room you’re in
You will save money on energy if instead of trying to cool a bigger room area than it’s actually needed. Just need to shut the doors to the rooms that are in use and seal the gaps so your nice cool air doesn’t sneak out under the door.
Get yourself some insulation
It is also a good idea to have the proper insulation in your house as it will keep the rooms warm in winter while it will keep them cool in summer.
Ceiling insulation can help you cut your energy usage by as much as 45% which in turn allow you to pay less on your energy bills. I will say that this is a smart way to spend your money since we all know that the price of electricity keeps going up. It is just the best way of helping you to avoid an excessive energy bill in the future.
Cook Out
Try as much as possible to cook outside during the days and inside at nights since nobody wants to feel like they are in an oven in summer.
Use Appliances Strategically
Best time to use your clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers — all of which produce heat – is during the times when it is cooler in the evenings or morning hours.
Hot Roof
This is an area of the house that we often overlooked, however, one of the issues is that it can cause you to hotter rooms upstairs since your roof will be absorbing heat.
Remember that if your roof is defective, cool air can escape from your home when you try to cool the room that is in use.
Vent the Hot Air Out
Being frugal and trying to save on your electric bill is one of the ways you can help reduce your environmental impact.
We do that by doing our best to keep our energy consumption down. So we must use stove top vents, bathroom and laundry room vents to dump hot, humid air from cooking and showering to the outside of your home.
