How to Keep Your Home Cool Without the AC
As the temperature climbs, you will find no better investment than your home’s air conditioning system to keep you cool. Making smart choices inside your home can prevent your AC from working too hard to maintain a cool temperature and could even help you have a cool home without AC if you want to give your system a rest. Even if you live in a house without air conditioning, there are ways to cool off your house without AC!
Common Ways to Cool Down Your House Without AC
Here are some tried-and-true and a few new ways to cool your house without the AC.
- Window Treatments
Sunlight coming in through your windows can result in up to 30% of the excess heat in your house. Using blinds and light colored curtains can reduce the afternoon temperature in your house by almost 20 degrees. If you don’t want to reduce the light in your house just close the blinds on the south and west facing windows. You can also use sheer curtains to diffuse the light and reflect much of the heat back outside. - Run Your Appliances at Night
Laundry appliances generate heat whether through the hot water of the washer or the heat of the dryer. The heat generated by the dishwasher also contributes to the inside temperature. It’s best to run them at night when the air is cooler outside. - Plant Deciduous Trees
Planting trees that lose their leaves in the winter (deciduous) on the south and west sides of the house will generate cooling shade in the summer and allow sunlight to warm your house in the winter. Choose fast growing Poplar, Sycamore or Maple trees. You can also plant Birch trees that have smaller leaves, so the raking is a little easier. - Grill More
Your oven and stovetop are cooking more than your food. They are also raising the temperatures in your kitchen. Start grilling outside as the day starts to cool. With a little dedication you can grill most of the foods you make in the oven from pizza to oysters and french fries. - Keep the Fans On
Air circulation is important, especially if you are not using your AC. Many systems allow you to set the fan to run for a set number of minutes per hour. In the evening, running a fan to push the hot air out of the attic and pull in the cooler air will also help lower temperatures. Ceiling fans also do a great job of moving cool air downward within the room. - Dehumidify
In Central PA; humidity can make all the difference. If you have a dehumidifier keep it running. Also, be aware of the humidity generating activities in your home. Bathing or running the laundry and dish washer can add moisture to your home, so run the bathroom fan or a ceiling vent to pump out that moist air whenever possible. - The Beauty of a Box Fan
Box fans placed in or near windows can help draw in cool air from outside or pull warm air out of a room depending on how they are placed. If the blades face the window screen, the fan helps pull hot air out of the room. Flipped the other way, it draws in air from outdoors. - Use LED Bulbs
LED bulbs not only save on electricity, they also generate less heat. In Pennsylvania, electric companies often subsidize the cost of LED bulbs to lower the price, which in turn allows you to save on your electric bill and reduce the heat added to your home at night. - Change Your Sheets
Cotton sheets are the coolest option of the traditional fabrics. In the summer you will want to use sheets with a LOWER thread count since they breathe more. For those who need to sleep under a comforter or a blanket, try using a crochet blanket with wide openings to keep the air moving. There are also sheets and pillows engineered to absorb moisture and keep you cool. Some people even fill a hot water bottles with cold water and put sheets in the freezer before bed to stay extra cool. - Old School AC
It’s an oldie but a goodie. Put a pan full of ice in front of a fan. The fan will blow cool moist air from the pan into the room. This trick works best in smaller rooms.
Schedule an Appointment with Ranck
Whether you are trying to cut back on your air conditioning costs or you live in a house without air conditioning, our experts at Ranck Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning are here to help! You can sit back, relax and enjoy a nice cool home this summer. Contact Ranck Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning to keep your home cool this summer, or call us at 717-397-2577!