Cooling a Home Without Using an AC

Cooling a Home Without Using an AC

With the economic crunch, it is of vital importance that every homeowner should find necessary means to keep the home cool without using an AC unit.

With the cost of energy soaring high all the time, as a homeowner, you should find ways to keep your home cool without using an air conditioning unit that can create havoc in your electricity bill.

You can make your home cooler without using an AC with the following tips:

1. Use ceiling fans or portable fans to keep the flow of air. Open windows in the evening when the temperature goes down. Do not forget to close the windows when the temperature starts to rise in the morning. If you are building a new home, consider ceiling fans installed in most of the rooms such as the living room, kitchen, family rooms and bedrooms.

2. Minimize bathing, showering, washing clothes or cooking during the middle of the day. Run ventilators in kitchen, laundry room and bathroom. Turn off the ventilating fans after you are through with your work.

3. Shade your home by using affordable heat-reflecting film. You can opt to purchase roll up ones that can easily be removed during winter.

4. Planting trees is a must when it comes to keeping your home cool without using an AC unit. Strategically plant the trees on the west and south sides of your home, which enables you to save about $300 and reduces home temperature by 3 to 5 degrees.

5. Use weather-stripping or caulk to seal doors and windows tight. Make sure that windows operate and check out screens so you can open windows without insects getting in.

6. Refrain from landscaping the south and west side of your home with hard reflective materials like concrete, rock or asphalt. They radiate heat towards the house after sunset.

7. Avoid using heat-generating appliances when the weather is hot, such as televisions, lamps, stoves, computers and laundry machines among others.

8. Close windows and blinds to help keep the home cooler when the sun starts to beat down. A good cellular shade gives a considerable insulation. Opt for wide slats for the blinds or blackout materials for window shades.

9. If your home is two-storey, stay downstairs where the temperature is cooler. If you have a single-storey home, try to stay in the north-facing room because it is cooler. A south-facing room has a tendency to getting hotter because it is directly exposed to sunlight for during the day.

10. Install a foil radiant barrier to the underside roof rafters to keep the attic space cool. This provides an air space between the sheathing and the foil. The foil will help reflect heat away from the attic space. You can place foil sheets in such a way that the seams are along the center of the trusses or rafters and seal them tight using caulk.

If you follow the tips mentioned above, you will be able to make your home cooler without having to use your air conditioning unit. Keep in mind that in the past, before the air conditioning unit was invented, people survived the heat by using simpler methods. Try to apply these methods to help you save on energy costs.