How To Keep My Home Cool Without Air Conditioning?
If your home doesn’t have air conditioning, your air conditioner is on the fritz, or you’re just trying to keep your electric bill low, you’re likely trying to find ways to keep your home cool without running the air conditioner. While air conditioners can make a home much cooler and more comfortable, they aren’t the only solution. Try one of our tips below to help you reduce your air conditioner usage this summer!
Keep the Blinds Closed
This is one of the easiest and most effective things to do to keep a home cool without using the AC. When blinds are open, more sunlight gets into the room. Keeping the blinds closed can actually lower temperatures by as much as 20 degrees. Keeping the blinds closed on any windows you have that face the south or west is even more important. Since these windows will be exposed to the stronger afternoon sunlight, they’ll let even more heat into the home if the blinds aren’t closed.
Perform Basic Maintenance on Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can be quite useful in lowering the temperature in a room, but they will be even more effective with proper maintenance. One important thing to do is to regularly clean your fans and remove the dust from the blades and motor. Too much dust on the motor can cause it to get too hot, which can slow down the fan’s speed. Dusting your fans regularly will also be a benefit for any allergy sufferers in the home.
After you dust the fan’s blades, take just a few extra minutes to polish them. While this may seem like an unnecessary step since you don’t really see the blades on a ceiling fan as they turn, it can actually improve the fan’s performance. When a fan’s blades are polished, it reduces drag and helps the blades move air better.
Finally, during the warmer summer months, set the fans in your home to run counter-clockwise, and place them on the highest available setting. This makes the fans push the air down for a more effective cooling breeze.
Purchase Ceiling Fans
If you don’t already have ceiling fans or don’t have them in all of the main rooms in your home, you may want to consider purchasing some. As we shared above, ceiling fans with counter-clockwise rotating fans can be extremely effective at creating a cooling breeze to keep individuals cool. Prioritize adding them to the bedrooms and main living areas of your home.
Add Blackout Curtains to the Windows
Blackout curtains can be even more effective than shades at keeping heat and sunlight out of a room. In addition to their room-darkening abilities, blackout curtains act as a natural insulator. This can help reduce the amount of heat that enters a room by up to 33%.
Add Shade Around Your Home
Consider adding some taller trees around the perimeter of your home. Trees provide shade and will block more of the sunlight from reaching your home. They can also bring the additional benefit of increased privacy.
Another way to add shade without planting trees is to have awnings installed above the windows in your home. These will also reduce the amount of heat and sunlight that is able to make it in through the window.
Purchase Breathable Sheets
Keep yourself cooler at night by using sheets made from breathable materials. As the weather turns warmer, swap out warmer materials, such as flannel or fleece, for cool, breathable materials like cotton. You may also want to look for a cooling pillow to use with your sheets. Pillows made of latex or buckwheat are known for their cooling properties.
Don’t Cook in the Oven
Whenever possible, avoid turning on your oven. Ovens get very hot and will add heat to the space around them as well. This can make an already warm house very uncomfortable. Ideally, you will also want to limit your use of the stove top as well since the heat from the burners can also warm up the interior of your home.
If you need to cook, try to do so earlier in the morning or after the sun has gone down. As an alternative to cooking in the oven or on the stove, consider grilling out more or using countertop appliances such as microwaves, air fryers, or slow cookers that won’t release as much heat.
Purchase Window Insulation Films
Window insulation films, as their name implies, are designed to add additional insulation to a window. They can reduce infrared heat by up to 98% compared to windows without insulation films. These films can also be effective during the winter months to keep your home warmer and prevent warm air from getting out or cold air from getting in.
Add Weather Stripping Around Your Doors
If you don’t already have weather stripping around your doors and windows, adding some is a quick fix that can keep your home cooler. Weather stripping can prevent the cooler air in your home from escaping out of your home and prevent warm air from entering the home. You’ll also appreciate having weather stripping in the winter since it will keep the inside of your home warmer by preventing warm air from escaping.
Open the Windows at Night
If the weather forecast is predicting a cool and dry evening, consider opening up your windows a bit before heading to bed. Letting some cooler air in overnight can help keep you cooler when you sleep, and it may cool down your home enough to keep it a bit cooler the following day as well.
Ditch Incandescent Light Bulbs
If you still have incandescent bulbs anywhere in your home, switch them out for LED bulbs. Incandescent bulbs let off a lot of heat, which can add up and make the rooms in your home hotter. LED bulbs let off about half the heat of an incandescent bulb, making them a much cooler option.
Keep Yourself Cool
Finally, in addition to thinking of ways to make your home cooler, consider some things you can do to keep yourself cooler in your home. Dress in loose and breathable clothing to prevent yourself from overheating in a warmer home.
You will also want to be sure to stay hydrated and drink plenty of cold water. If you feel yourself getting too warm, try splashing some cool water on your forehead or on the back of your neck for a quick cool-down.
If your AC unit is in need of service or repair, contact Brennan Heating & Air Conditioning. We can help make sure your system is up and running for those really hot summer days ahead of us! In addition to servicing AC units, some of the other services we offer include HVAC repair, maintenance, and installation, water heater repair and replacement, and electrical services. We’re located in Seattle, Washington, and have been serving Western Washington and the Puget Sound region for more than 30 years.
We’d love to help you with all of your heating and cooling needs. Contact us today to learn more about the services we provide.
