The best time of the year to visit the beach is fast approaching but if you’re a home buddy, you’d probably be thinking of ways to keep your house cool during the summer. Turning on the air conditioning is the most convenient solution, but you won’t be that excited once you get the electric bill in the mail.
Ways To Keep Your House Cool & Save Money During Summer
As the summer heat seems to lengthen and intensify each year, we, preppers, need to do something about it without having to resort to the expensive and artificial way of cooling our homes. Here are some tips to deal with the heat wave while saving money in the process.
1. Dehumidify
If you live in a humid area, your sweat will stay wet. Wear loose cotton and other natural fabrics. Removing the humidity will help you feel cooler. Of course, there are other ways to keep your house cool.
2. Reduce And Reflect Sunlight
Direct sunlight coming into your home can increase the temperature. Keep direct sunlight from entering your interior by placing blinds, curtains, or reflective window panels and you will feel the difference.
3. Turn Off Lights When Not In Use
Light bulbs produce heat, especially the incandescent ones. If you can’t replace this antique type of bulbs, the least what you can do is minimize their usage. Some homes have solar panels to help minimize the cost of electricity.
4. Be Smart About Your Doors
If a room is cooler than the outdoor temperature, close the door. This way, you can retain the cold room temperature for as long as possible even in the warmest part of the day. Of course, there may be other cool ideas you might have in mind.
5. Don’t Cook Inside
The kitchen can create and, at the same time, retain a lot of heat when you are cooking. Especially the oven. The best compromise is to cook during the coolest time of the day. If you can opt to cook in your backyard, that be a good time for a backyard barbecue.
6. Put Smooth White Fabric Covers On Your Furniture
White fabric covers will help retain less heat in your furniture. In addition, these covers will reflect the light. Some would say that it absorbs less heat from sunlight. The furniture, and your interior, stay cool in the process.
7. Open Windows At Both Ends Of The House
By opening windows at both ends of the house, you let air move freely through the whole structure. This is called cross-ventilation. This process helps reduce the temperature in your home. You’ll be surprised at how much cooler it becomes.
8. Set Your Ceiling Fans To Rotate Counter-clockwise
Doing this will help move the warmth up and away from the room. In turn, you will feel cooler. I bet you didn’t think you could do that, did you? If you did, then there’s definitely a lot more you can do.
9. Point Box Fans Out The Windows
When you do this, you push the hot air out. This is one thing many homeowners do not realize. Sometimes, it’s better to use fans for exhaust rather than creating artificial breeze.
10. Unplug Appliances Or Electronics
In this age of electronics, heat is a normal by-product. If you have kids or teens playing with their xbox on large flat screen TV’s all day, maybe it would be best to minimize their playtime. Pull out those plugs if you are not using a gadget. Less heat produced means a cooler interior.
11. Hack A Fan Instead Of Turning On The AC
It’s a classic but it’s proven to work. Take some ice and put it in a bowl, place in front of a fan and you get instant AC. It may not be as cool as the real one but it’s the next best thing. But hey! Better put those ice cubes into good use!
12. Hang Wet Laundry On A Clothesline Rather Than Turning On Your Dryer
A dryer is no different from an oven in the summer. They are heat multipliers, so try not to use them if you don’t need dry clothes right away. Besides, it will also cool the air coming into your home if the wind direction is favorable.
13. Make Use Of Your Bathroom And Kitchen Exhaust Fans
Apart from drawing out any excess steam, these exhaust fans draw out the heat from other rooms nearby. There will be a noticeable difference. You can probably do this at the warmest part of the day when your not using your AC.
14. Do Your Laundry And Ironing At Certain Parts Of The Day
Just like cooking in your kitchen, you can do these at a cooler part of the day. This way, you won’t be adding to the warmth of your home’s interior. Plus, your work will be much more comfortable. Unless you have a schedule to keep.
15. Damp Curtain
People from the old days used this technique before the birth of air-conditioning units. This is quite similar to the ice in front of the fan technique. As long as there’s a breeze, that is. You can even add fabric conditioner to add fragrance. Sort of an aromatherapy type of summer!
16. Let The Night Air In
In the summertime, nights tend to be much cooler. Make the most of this by opening the windows before sleeping. Of course, security should be your primary concern prior to leaving them open as you doze off. Make the necessary preparations like grills or just the upper windows if you live in a 2-storey house.
17. Plant Trees Strategically
This may be a long-term plan but the benefits are also long-term. After a few years, you will be proud with what you have done. Plant them on locations where you think the sun beats down on your home the hottest especially during summer.
Watch this video by HomeDashWizardDotCom showing us ways to keep cool and save energy this summer:
That’s about it! This list just might do you some good when it comes to getting rid of or minimizing the heat in your home. If you have barn animals, you can also find ways to keep them cool. I’m sure there are a lot of other cool ways you can also find in the web that might just suit you and your family. Have a cool summer!
Do you have anything more to add about keeping your house cool during the summer? Please add them in the comments below!
Want more money-saving tips? Learn how to build a 6-month food stockpile on a tight budget.
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I can see how getting rid of that sticky, humid feeling would keep things a little cooler. Out here in North Carolina it is so hot because you can literally feel the thickness of the humidity with your hands. I’ll have to remember your tips so we can keep things nice and cool in the house.
Thanks for sharing such a useful information. The collection was really helpful for visitors.