Staying cool
Now that summer heat is hitting some of us, I thought it might be a good idea to do a thread dedicated to ways to keep cool while still keeping the energy bill down.
Obviously the big one is the AC. If you have one, great, but it can be an energy hog. So what are ways to avoid using it?
1) Work with the insulation of your home. A well-insulated home can keep out a great deal of heat. That means if it's hot outside then you need to keep your doors and windows closed. Crack them open at night when/if the temperatures cool down (and if you feel safe sleeping with your windows open) but come morning shut the place up and trap that cool air inside.
1a) Conversely, if the insulation isn't good then try to get a cross breeze blowing. Channel air from the coolest part of the house to the warmest (a couple of box or window fans can do this job nicely). This works especially well if one side of your house or apt building gets pounded by sunlight and the other is shaded. Use one fan to blow cool air in through the shaded windows and another to blow warm air out of the sunny windows.
2) Sunlight is the enemy. During the day close your curtains and blinds to help block it out.
3) Fans of all kinds are useful. 2 way window fans can be a great asset for blowing hot air out during the day and cool air in during the night. Also use a 2 way ceiling fan if you've got one. Reverse the flow of the fan so that instead of blowing air down it sucks air up. Blowing air down will only make your house hotter b/c it's taking all the hot air on your ceiling and shoving it down on you, but reversing the flow encourages the hot air to rise and stay that way. (Suffice it to say I had the start of one summer where I and my roommates were utterly roasting until we figured out the ceiling fans of our new home were set incorrectly).
4) Strip! Wear less clothes to help stay cool (aren't you glad you shut your blinds now? ;) ) Go all the way nekkid if you can or, if you sweat a little too much like that, wear cool and comfortable clothing on the parts that get too hot. For example a sports bra can help wick away moisture on your chest, and a pair of light jogging shorts can do the same job elsewhere.
5) Cold baths are a great way to keep yourself cool for a long time without much expense. Stretch out in a cool bath instead of on the couch the next time you have a book or magazine to catch up on. Quick cool showers can also help to lower your temperature during the day. If you can, get your hair wet and leave it that way to help act as a cooling system while it dries.
6) Restrict the use of energy gulping and heat exhausting appliances (e.g. dishwasher, washer/dryer) to the night. Not only will this add less heat to the already too-hot daytime, but you'll be helping out the energy levels of your town (which will probably already be strained under the pressure of all those fans and air conditioners that you and your neighbors are using).
7) Turn your stove and oven off in favor of a crock pot or your outdoor grill. Better yet, make cool meals, like sandwiches and salads, that require little to no cooking at all.
8) If you are one of the lucky ones with an AC you can save money by making sure the filter is clean, raising the temperature by a degree or more (you may find you can't tell the difference), and using fans to help channel the cool air around your home. Also don't neglect the other tips as the cooler you feel, the less you'll feel the need to have the AC cranking at full power.
9) Check out the tips here, here, and here for more advice on keeping cool.
Anybody else have any suggestions? =)
Obviously the big one is the AC. If you have one, great, but it can be an energy hog. So what are ways to avoid using it?
1) Work with the insulation of your home. A well-insulated home can keep out a great deal of heat. That means if it's hot outside then you need to keep your doors and windows closed. Crack them open at night when/if the temperatures cool down (and if you feel safe sleeping with your windows open) but come morning shut the place up and trap that cool air inside.
1a) Conversely, if the insulation isn't good then try to get a cross breeze blowing. Channel air from the coolest part of the house to the warmest (a couple of box or window fans can do this job nicely). This works especially well if one side of your house or apt building gets pounded by sunlight and the other is shaded. Use one fan to blow cool air in through the shaded windows and another to blow warm air out of the sunny windows.
2) Sunlight is the enemy. During the day close your curtains and blinds to help block it out.
3) Fans of all kinds are useful. 2 way window fans can be a great asset for blowing hot air out during the day and cool air in during the night. Also use a 2 way ceiling fan if you've got one. Reverse the flow of the fan so that instead of blowing air down it sucks air up. Blowing air down will only make your house hotter b/c it's taking all the hot air on your ceiling and shoving it down on you, but reversing the flow encourages the hot air to rise and stay that way. (Suffice it to say I had the start of one summer where I and my roommates were utterly roasting until we figured out the ceiling fans of our new home were set incorrectly).
4) Strip! Wear less clothes to help stay cool (aren't you glad you shut your blinds now? ;) ) Go all the way nekkid if you can or, if you sweat a little too much like that, wear cool and comfortable clothing on the parts that get too hot. For example a sports bra can help wick away moisture on your chest, and a pair of light jogging shorts can do the same job elsewhere.
5) Cold baths are a great way to keep yourself cool for a long time without much expense. Stretch out in a cool bath instead of on the couch the next time you have a book or magazine to catch up on. Quick cool showers can also help to lower your temperature during the day. If you can, get your hair wet and leave it that way to help act as a cooling system while it dries.
6) Restrict the use of energy gulping and heat exhausting appliances (e.g. dishwasher, washer/dryer) to the night. Not only will this add less heat to the already too-hot daytime, but you'll be helping out the energy levels of your town (which will probably already be strained under the pressure of all those fans and air conditioners that you and your neighbors are using).
7) Turn your stove and oven off in favor of a crock pot or your outdoor grill. Better yet, make cool meals, like sandwiches and salads, that require little to no cooking at all.
8) If you are one of the lucky ones with an AC you can save money by making sure the filter is clean, raising the temperature by a degree or more (you may find you can't tell the difference), and using fans to help channel the cool air around your home. Also don't neglect the other tips as the cooler you feel, the less you'll feel the need to have the AC cranking at full power.
9) Check out the tips here, here, and here for more advice on keeping cool.
Anybody else have any suggestions? =)