21 Tips on How to Keep a House Cool Without AC

During the summer, Americans use the air conditioner more than they do any other appliance. Depending on which type of air conditioning you have the cost varies but central air costs around $245 a month while a window unit costs around $100 per month.

The United States Department of Energy reported that air conditioning costs American families on average around $2,000 per year while Americans spend roughly around $30 billion a year on cooling costs combined.

According to a 2018 report from the United States Energy Information Administration, hotter states such as Texas, Florida and other southern states spend more money on air conditioning, totalling around 12% of the U. S. home energy expenditure.

Chances are that you are spending too much money cooling down your home. Other costs Americans pay too much for include home insurance, renters insurance and car insurance. You should always compare insurance rates before you buy. As for lowering the cost of AC usage, here are some alternatives that can help you keep cool in the summer heat:

1. Around 30 percent of the heat in your home comes in through your window and sunlight. An easy way to cool your apartment would be to simply try to block out the sun with some heavy curtains that can block the sun’s rays. We’re not talking about pretty sheer fabric. Think velvet!
2. Install awnings to block the sun’s heat. Awnings sometimes come with retractability features so you can adjust how much sunlight you allow in or near the home. You may be able to buy a large awning, like the Sunsetter, for a patio or sundeck for less than $800.
3. Have you heard about the hack using a fan and ice to help keep your home cool? This hack can be done by simply filling a mixing bowl with ice and placing it in front of the fan. When the fan is turned on, it disperses cool air throughout your home.
4. Changing your sheets to those made of cotton can help reduce heat while you sleep because cotton is an absorbent and breathable material that allows heat to escape the body, unlike polyester blends.
5. Have cold drinks and apply cold towels to your body to cool down your body temperature.
6. Opening the windows at night can definitely cool down your house because the night breeze is cool compared to the midday breeze which can be hot.
7. Placing a fan facing out of the window is another way of cooling the temperature because the fan pushes out the hot air from your home.
8. Turn off the lights in your room when not in use. Light bulbs produce heat.
9. Switch from incandescent lights, which create heat, to LED light bulbs, which run cooler and may save you some money on electric bills.
10. If you have ceiling fans, set them to rotate counter clockwise during the summer at a high fan speed to push the air down. The circulation will prevent the accumulation of heat and create a breeze which will cool your home.
11. Turn on the cooking fan to take out some of the summer heat.
12. Electronics heat up so unplug them if you are not using them to avoid any extra heat.
13. Reflective insulation bubble-pack called Reflectix can be placed on windows and sunroofs. It’s kind of ugly, but it works!
14. Cooking during the day in the summer can raise your home temperature significantly so the best thing to do would be to cook in the morning to avoid hot temperature during the day.
15. Instead of cooking inside and heating up your home try grilling outside which creates no heat in your home.
16. Use a bamboo mat as opposed to a regular cotton mattress to prevent heat from being transferred to your body.
17. Clean your room to create more space for the air to circulate better and less heat to be captured inside.
18. Create a cross breeze to increase the flow of air. To create a cross breeze open windows that are on opposite sides of each other to allow air to move from window to window. To increase the breeze, place fans on the windows having one face out while the other faces inside.
19. Reduce hot-shower time to reduce the heat and humidity, which increase the temperature in the house.
20. Vent your attic where lots of hot air get trapped. You can even get a Smart attic fan that speeds up and down according to the temperature inside the attic.
21. Place box fans in the windows facing outward to pull the hot air out of your home.