Ditch the Air Conditioning With These 6 Ways to Cool Off
These methods of cooling your home and body are cheaper and kinder to the planet
Mariana Pickering
6 October 2018
Houzz Contributor; Owner/CEO of Emu Building Science; LEED AP BD+C. After spending many years as an architectural designer in the high-efficiency residential Italian market, I now run a company that specializes in advanced construction science and Passive House design. We are located in Denver, Colorado, and Northern Italy, and we work internationally with builders, designers, and manufacturers of high-performance projects and products.
Houzz Contributor; Owner/CEO of Emu Building Science; LEED AP BD+C. After spending... More
Going from an air-conditioned office to an air-conditioned bus/train to an air-conditioned mall, most of us automatically reach for the AC remote when we’re home. And with that comes a scorching energy bill. It doesn’t have to be so. Whether you want to save money by running your AC less or brave the heat without one, here are six steps that will help you stay cool.
1. Block the sun from reaching your windows
Energy-efficient houses depend on well-designed shading systems, because the best way to avoid heat is by blocking the sun’s rays from ever reaching the windows.
Energy-efficient houses depend on well-designed shading systems, because the best way to avoid heat is by blocking the sun’s rays from ever reaching the windows.
It’s a simple concept that we regularly employ with beach umbrellas to protect our skin and carports to shade our cars. Yet when it comes to houses, for some reason people tend to believe that curtains are as effective as exterior shading. It’s simply not true.
The more shading you can include on the outside, the better. If you can’t afford a new matching set of shutters, consider a simple overhang made with brackets and timber slats to block your windows from the intense summer sun.
How to passively and visually cool your apartment
How to passively and visually cool your apartment
Solar-control window films can offer UV protection and reduce the amount of heat gained from solar radiation. Compared with some elaborate shading systems, these could be a less expensive alternative.
Even simple and very inexpensive bamboo blinds can block a good portion of sunlight without completely sacrificing daylight.
I can’t stress enough that the best way to beat the heat is to block the sunlight before it reaches your house. Whether you do that by hanging shades, installing awnings or even planting trees, the most effective use of the funds in your home-cooling budget is in this first step.
When you’re planting trees for shade (or installing any kind of shading), think about the sun’s path through the sky. It may help you to check out an app that can help you track the sun’s path and how its rays hit your house.
When you’re planting trees for shade (or installing any kind of shading), think about the sun’s path through the sky. It may help you to check out an app that can help you track the sun’s path and how its rays hit your house.
2. Add window treatment
Once the heat from the sun’s rays passes through the glass of a window, that heat is in the house and will need to be ventilated to escape. To keep your floors and walls from soaking up that heat from direct rays and emitting it throughout the day, it can help to add another layer of protection between the window and the main thermal mass of your home.
Sheer curtains are a nice way to mitigate direct sun rays to the floor but maintain soft, natural daylight. Plus, white reflects sunlight better than colours.
Once the heat from the sun’s rays passes through the glass of a window, that heat is in the house and will need to be ventilated to escape. To keep your floors and walls from soaking up that heat from direct rays and emitting it throughout the day, it can help to add another layer of protection between the window and the main thermal mass of your home.
Sheer curtains are a nice way to mitigate direct sun rays to the floor but maintain soft, natural daylight. Plus, white reflects sunlight better than colours.
There are a couple of tricks that you can employ with sheer curtains that you can’t pull off with interior blinds or shades.
My favourite thing to do is throw my sheer curtains in with my laundry the night before a really hot day. (They don’t take up much room, because they are super thin, but you could just as easily dunk them in a bucket of water and ring them out.) I set my machine to finish about the time I get up in the morning, and I put four or five drops of tea tree oil in with the load. When I get up in the morning, I take the curtains directly from the washer (still damp) to the rod and clip them in place. The open windows let the morning breeze pass through the curtains, cooling the air before it reaches me and filling it with the fresh smell of tea tree oil.
By the time they curtains have dried out, it’s about time to shut my windows anyway, before the intense heat of the day starts. You could do the same routine in the evening, but I wouldn’t recommend the washing machine version because of the heat it generates (see No. 4).
My favourite thing to do is throw my sheer curtains in with my laundry the night before a really hot day. (They don’t take up much room, because they are super thin, but you could just as easily dunk them in a bucket of water and ring them out.) I set my machine to finish about the time I get up in the morning, and I put four or five drops of tea tree oil in with the load. When I get up in the morning, I take the curtains directly from the washer (still damp) to the rod and clip them in place. The open windows let the morning breeze pass through the curtains, cooling the air before it reaches me and filling it with the fresh smell of tea tree oil.
By the time they curtains have dried out, it’s about time to shut my windows anyway, before the intense heat of the day starts. You could do the same routine in the evening, but I wouldn’t recommend the washing machine version because of the heat it generates (see No. 4).
3. Get the air circulating
Air will flow only if it is forced (via a fan of some sort) or if there is a large temperature difference with a neighbouring body of air.
Night cooling is a great way to naturally decrease the temperature in your house and exchange hot interior air for cooler outdoor air. As I mentioned before, I have my windows open only in the early morning, at night or late in the evening when it is cooler outside than my ideal temperature indoors.
You may need to do some testing to see what works best for you, depending on your climate and the orientation of your house toward the sun. For this to work, there needs to be a substantial difference in temperature between the inside of your house and the outside. Once the outdoor air starts to heat up, I close my windows to try and keep as much of that heat out as possible.
Air will flow only if it is forced (via a fan of some sort) or if there is a large temperature difference with a neighbouring body of air.
Night cooling is a great way to naturally decrease the temperature in your house and exchange hot interior air for cooler outdoor air. As I mentioned before, I have my windows open only in the early morning, at night or late in the evening when it is cooler outside than my ideal temperature indoors.
You may need to do some testing to see what works best for you, depending on your climate and the orientation of your house toward the sun. For this to work, there needs to be a substantial difference in temperature between the inside of your house and the outside. Once the outdoor air starts to heat up, I close my windows to try and keep as much of that heat out as possible.
Ceiling fans and standing fans placed near windows at night can help force the air movement when there is no breeze and a small temperature difference. During the day the added air movement from fans can help the perception of heat, which is tied to humidity.
How to choose a ceiling fan
How to choose a ceiling fan
The reason everyone loves misters in the heat is not for the humidity of the water in the air, but for the evaporative cooling effect of water being lifted off the skin. In fact, I always keep a couple of plant misters around the house, hidden near the fans, for a quick spritz as I pass by (our dog loves it too).
Another evaporative cooling tip, borrowed from history, is to set a big chunk of ice (or ice packs) in front of a fan with a tray underneath to catch the water as it melts. It makes for a really cheap and fairly effective DIY air conditioner for small rooms. I recommend closing off the space as much as possible, so you don’t lose that great cool air.
Another evaporative cooling tip, borrowed from history, is to set a big chunk of ice (or ice packs) in front of a fan with a tray underneath to catch the water as it melts. It makes for a really cheap and fairly effective DIY air conditioner for small rooms. I recommend closing off the space as much as possible, so you don’t lose that great cool air.
4. Turn off major appliances during the day
To help maintain those cooler temperatures during the day, reduce anything that generates heat in your house or apartment. For example, don’t use the dryer or oven and try not to open the fridge too often. The more you open it, the more the motor has to work to cool it down again, and the heat generated from that work will be released back into your home.
To help maintain those cooler temperatures during the day, reduce anything that generates heat in your house or apartment. For example, don’t use the dryer or oven and try not to open the fridge too often. The more you open it, the more the motor has to work to cool it down again, and the heat generated from that work will be released back into your home.
Try fresh summer salads to avoid using your oven and stove.
5. Keep your bed cool
I don’t know about you, but I feel the heat the most when I’m trying to sleep. Reduce the amount of bedding you have and stick to natural fabrics like linen or 100 per cent cotton. Synthetic blends don’t breathe enough to release all the heat we generate during the night.
Also, keep your sheets fresh. An old trick is to sprinkle some baby powder or talcum powder on your sheets. It will absorb sweat while you’re sleeping and keep your sheets feeling fresh and clean.
The pros and cons of making your bed every day
I don’t know about you, but I feel the heat the most when I’m trying to sleep. Reduce the amount of bedding you have and stick to natural fabrics like linen or 100 per cent cotton. Synthetic blends don’t breathe enough to release all the heat we generate during the night.
Also, keep your sheets fresh. An old trick is to sprinkle some baby powder or talcum powder on your sheets. It will absorb sweat while you’re sleeping and keep your sheets feeling fresh and clean.
The pros and cons of making your bed every day
How about using your balcony as a sleeping porch? “Outdoor sleeping has come to stay, so let us recognise the fact and build our houses accordingly.” This declaration appeared in the magazine Decorative Homes of Moderate Costs in 1921, responding to the widespread fad of sleeping on screened porches. Sleeping al fresco was considered, in the time of diseases like tuberculosis, to be a reasonable health measure. As such, for many years, sleeping porches were an integral part of home designs.
Depending on your apartment and security concerns, you may have a little exterior screened-in space that can be used like a sleeping porch. You could have a little daybed with light linens for nights when it’s comfortable enough to sleep in open air.
Depending on your apartment and security concerns, you may have a little exterior screened-in space that can be used like a sleeping porch. You could have a little daybed with light linens for nights when it’s comfortable enough to sleep in open air.
Or, hey, forgo the linens altogether and sleep in a hammock!
6. Stay hydrated
Everyone knows that staying hydrated on hot days is extremely important. But did you know that drinking water also helps regulate your body temperature?
TELL US
How do you stay cool in the heat? Share your tips in the Comments below.
MORE
Cooling Ideas from Historical Homes Around the World
Everyone knows that staying hydrated on hot days is extremely important. But did you know that drinking water also helps regulate your body temperature?
TELL US
How do you stay cool in the heat? Share your tips in the Comments below.
MORE
Cooling Ideas from Historical Homes Around the World
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We should be putting way more mass in our walls. Fiberglass insulation basically just stops the convective loop inside the cavity. If I use it (rarely) I double the recommended amount.
This is what I bring to my projects. I build with completely thermally, broken field-formed SIPs that far out perform traditional construction and is much less expensive. And yes, is much cooler on a hot day.
I built a small passive solar home a few years back. The roof has a 24" overhang (for Maine) that shades the south-facing windows during the summer but allows full daylight penetration during the winter. The floor is a 4" concrete slab insulated from the ground and the foundation and acts as a thermal battery. The house stays cool during the summer and warm in the winter; I never regretted front-loading my expenses with the extra investment!
I'm late to this discussion but wanted to add one thing. Even though I have forced air and heat, I tend to do what I can to cut back on that. One of my major tricks is to tape aluminum foil to windows (either on the glass or the frame) dull side out for good neighborly relations. I do this to the bedroom window where it stays up for months and the drapes are never opened, as well as any windows where the hot morning or afternoon sun pours in. I don't do every window because I do not want to look like a drug dealer. If I have a window I do not want to tape foil to, I might get oversized pieces of cardboard--mattress boxes are good--and tape the foil to one side of that and prop them in the window. The foil prevents the heat from transferring from the glass to the room and it's a cheap way to achieve this.