11 hours ago
6 Genius Tricks for Staying Cool Without Air Conditioning This Summer
After three straight days of blistering temperatures across much of the U.S., national health experts are once again urging people to stay indoors and out of the dangerous heat. That might be manageable in early spring—but in June, with summer officially underway and 100-degree days already sweeping the country, staying inside without proper cooling can quickly become unbearable.
While some might already be sipping frozen margs by the pool, or basking in the cool temps of an AC unit, millions of others are being hit hard by the debilitating temps.
So rather than spending this summer sizzling away in the heat, we thought we'd come up with a few easy (and mostly cheap) ways to cool down your house. Here are seven clever tricks from the experts to help you stay cool inside this summer.
While this is definitely the priciest solution on our list, if you live in a hot, dry climate, investing in a swamp cooler can make a huge difference at a lower price than an AC unit.
'Swamp coolers, also known as evaporative coolers, can produce similar results to what you'd get from an air conditioner,' says Brandi Andrews, founder and CEO of the National Air Warehouse. 'When water evaporates and becomes a sort of dry air, the temperature of that air will naturally drop, and once it's reached the stage of water vapor, the machine disperses this cold air as a way of cooling.'
Keep in mind that, since swamp coolers are adding moisture to the air, they won't work well in humid heat. (Sorry, East Coasters.) But if you're roughing it out in the desert somewhere, you just might want to get one.
Another great way to stay cool this summer is by using what you already have— like your ceiling fans. But are you using them the right way?
'In summer, your fans should be spinning counterclockwise,' says Matthias Alleckna, an energy expert with 'This forces hot air up toward the ceiling, making the room feel cooler.'
Ceiling fans don't actually cool the room, though—they circulate the air, giving the impression of colder temps. So make sure you turn off ceiling fans in any room you're not occupying, otherwise you'll just be heating up your electricity bill.
Keeping the lights off will absolutely help fight off the heat, but sometimes you'll need to have them on—and when you do, it's best to have bulbs that aren't making things worse.
'Toss out those old-school incandescent lights, and swap them for energy-efficient ones,' says Marla Mock, vice president of operations for Aire Serv. 'Lighting accounts for up to 12% of your energy budget, and those old incandescent lights give off 90% of their energy as heat—warming up the room more than homeowners realize.'
Mock recommends replacing your bulbs with either compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use 75% less energy and will last 10 times longer, or LEDs, which use 80% less energy and last 25 times longer.
'You'll see substantial savings, plus have a cooler house,' she says.
Yes, you can actually cool things down with a fan and ice, and Benjamin Joseph, co-owner of Liberty Home Guard, explains how.
'Take a box fan, and put a frozen gallon jug behind it, and blow it toward you,' he says.
Much like the wet-towel-over-the-fan trick, this little hack will make the air coming from your fan feel a lot cooler, plus you won't have to keep getting up to wet or reposition a towel.
Since the ambient heat is likely to make your frozen gallon jug perspire, we recommend placing it in a dish.
Another pro tip: Joseph recommends adding a bit of salt to your frozen jug, since saltwater freezes at a slightly lower temperature, making for even cooler ice.
Another trick to keep it cool inside? Keep the heat out.
'South- and west-facing rooms are the trickiest ones to keep cool,' explains Mock.
Thick, dark curtains with a white reflective backing area (also known as blackout curtains) are the most effective for keeping a sun-facing room cool.
As much as you might want to use these long, hot days to get through your ever-growing pile of laundry, resist the urge.
'Running the dryer, dishwasher, and oven multiple times throughout the day can produce a lot of heat in the home,' says Mock. 'Consider minimizing the number of times you do this, or find alternatives that will keep temperatures down.'
Keep things cooler in your house by running appliances late at night (when temperatures drop) and by letting your clothes air-dry on those really hot days.
Dina Sartore-Bodo contributed to this report.
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