10 Ways to Keep Cool at Home Without A/C

By Cris Carl, Hometalk

Save energy this summer. It’s easy to keep your house cool without air conditioning. Employing a few basic environmentally friendly principals will help keep you cool and will help you save money.

1. Hot Air Out, Cool Air In

The most basic thing you can do to keep your house cooler without air conditioning is to keep as much sunlight out as possible and let cooler air in at night. During the day, keep windows, drapes, blinds or shades closed, especially on the southern and western sides of your home. If you have a porch, you can put up large plastic or bamboo shades to cut down on sunlight.

2. Windows

Use white or light colored window dressings to reflect light. You can also apply reflective slicks to windows to further cut down on light. At night, leave cabinets open as well, as they will store heat.

3. Be a Fan of the Fan

Moving air is cooler air. At night, place fans in windows to bring more cool air in. Ceiling fans can also make a big difference. In terms of cooling, even a one-mile-per-hour breeze will make you feel three to four degrees cooler. In terms of energy savings, if you run a ceiling fan full-blast for 12 hours, you will only spend about $10 a month in electricity. Ceiling fans have two settings, one to pull air up (for winter use), and the other to push air down. Make sure your ceiling fan is blowing down.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Spoorthi B.

9:47PM PDT on Aug 29, 2011

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send a green star

Sankarasub N.

6:06AM PDT on Jun 28, 2011

Nice ideas, Thank you

Tiffany B.

8:51PM PDT on Jun 27, 2011

Now we need an article on how to stay cool in a car without air...

Shaheen N.

12:06PM PDT on Jun 27, 2011

Thanks for the tips.

Simon V.

10:39AM PDT on Jun 27, 2011

Very good ideas, thank you!

Amanda S.

10:07PM PDT on Jun 26, 2011

Ive never really thought about the open cabinet idea, and the ice cubes infront of the fan sounds like a pretty good idea too!

JE M.

9:39AM PDT on Jun 26, 2011

fans? ya think?

Howard C.

8:31AM PDT on Jun 26, 2011

I live in the UK where temperatures can vary hugely from one day to the next, today and tomorrow for instance the temperatures are forescast as being 86F for today and Monday but on Tuesday the forecast is for 68F which we will get for the rest of the week. I just wish that we could learn to capture the heat today and let it out later in the week when we need it!

8:30AM PDT on Jun 26, 2011

Nancy D.

8:26AM PDT on Jun 26, 2011

All good tips. But totally insufficient when you live in the 4th most humid city of the country as I do. I will continue to use the tips to minimize energy use, but the a/c will stay on!