In the summer months your house can get really hot, and it can be extremely uncomfortable. The best remedy is to run the air conditioner in your home. However, relying on the air conditioner too much is costly. Here are a few tips for how to stay cool during the summer without relying on the air conditioner:
1. Open windows and turn on fans at night: Despite the intense heat that is typically found during the day in summer, almost no matter where you live, the night is going to be significantly cooler. So, one of the ways to help get your home to a cooler temperature is to take advantage of the time that is cooler naturally. You can open all of the windows in your home, turn on ceiling fans, and let your home cool while the sun is down. Just make sure that as you close those windows before the temperature outside rises. If you forget, all the effort to get them opened and make sure fans are on is wasted. When you open a lot of windows, you want to make sure you have them open on both sides of your house, that way there can be some airflow.
2. Plant trees around perimeter to get shade: Often, your home heats from the outside in, and so one of the best ways to make your home cooler, is to shade it. Just like sitting under shade can make the temperature 10-20 degrees lower, the same is true for your house. Plant tall shade trees around the perimeter of your house. Obviously this is a remedy that will take a long time. However, even small trees can help reduce the heat in your home because they can block the UV rays from hitting your home.
3. Keep drapes closed: If you want your home to stay cool in the summer without using an air conditioner, you want to make sure that you are not allowing the heat from UV rays hitting your glass to also heat your home. One of the things you can do is insulate that glass from the inside. In fact, protecting your home from the sun’s rays by keeping the drapes closed can do a lot. While natural sunlight is wonderful, it also brings heat. So, if you want to stay cool in the summer without relying on the AC, keep the drapes closed.
Popsicles, ice cream, lemonade: If you can cool your core body temperature, outside temperature will not bother you nearly as much. So, work on staying cool in the summer by enjoying some lemonade, or ice cream, or popsicles, etc. eating cool foods can really help you stay cool in the summer.