10 tips to cool your home without using an air conditioner
Now summer is here and the heat does not give us any respite even at night.
Many people rely on an air conditioner to make their homes liveable during the summer but we know it consumes a lot of energy --- with devastating consequences on our electric bills. Furthermore, there are also people who do not even own an air conditioner!
So does this mean that you just have to resign yourself to spending the summer months all hot and sweaty, enduring with one sleepless night after the other! No!
Here, we propose 10 simple tips that will make your home cool and fresh at a minimal cost to you.
- Plants. Not everyone knows that there are plants that can cool appreciably an environment. Such plants absorb heat and release oxygen, especially at night. These plants include aloe vera, gardenia, disocactus, common ivy, lavender, and lamb's lettuce aka corn salad.
- Ceiling Fans. As regards ceiling fans, be sure they are turning counterclockwise. Most of these ceiling fans can work in two ways: One way, is in winter mode, when the fan rotates clockwise at a low speed that distributes the heat in the winter months and the second is in summer mode, when the fan rotates in counterclockwise at a high speed, that cools the environment in summer.
- Shutters closed and blinds lowered. Did you know that 30% of unwanted heat enters through the windows? Use the blinds or shutters to keep out the heat and cool the environment. You don't have to close everything and live in a cave! Positioned at an acute angle or only partially opened shutters and blinds can prevent the sun from beating directly on the floors.
4. Fan and a bowl of ice. You can improve the performance of your fan with a very simple and easy trick. Just place a bowl full of ice in front of the fan! You won't believe the relief you will get.
5. The Fan and Copper Coil Air Cooler. For those who delight in DIY, there's a version for experts of the aforementioned trick. Attach copper wire around the fan, plug it into a plastic tube and immerse the latter in a bucket of ice. Copper is an excellent conductor and creates a current of cold air inside the house! Here you can watch a video that explains everything.
6. Doors and Windows. Open doors and windows to intelligently create air currents that refresh the air throughout the house. Remember to use doorstops and other reliable objects to keep doors open and to never sit or stand right in the middle of the air currents.
7. Barbecue grill. If it is possible, find a way to cook outdoors with a barbecue grill. Using the oven in summer, with its 320°F (180°C) or 350° (200°C), is the fastest way to turn your kitchen into the center of the earth!
8. Replace incandescent light bulbs. Have environmentalists not yet been able to persuade you to replace your old incandescent light bulbs with the low energy-consuming fluorescent models? Well, maybe you should know that incandescent light bulbs generate much more heat and contribute significantly to warming your house during the summer.
9. At the foot of the bed. An ingenious way to refresh the bed is to put a hot water bag in the freezer and then place it at the foot of the bed. Then there those individuals who put their sheets directly in the freezer from 10 minutes up to a half hour. Against sleepless nights prudence is never enough!
10. Bathroom and kitchen. Usually, most bathrooms have a ventilating fan to remove bad odors. Use them also to beat the heat. The same applies to the kitchen exhaust hood which can also be used for the same purpose.
