Keeping the house cool throughout the hot summer days might mean keeping the aircon on all the time, ending up spending a fortune.
But, it doesn’t have to be that way- here are seven useful tips on how to do without it.
The hottest days of summer are still to come, yet extreme temperatures are already hitting many parts of the Northern hemisphere. If you are one of the sufferers, before reaching for that switch that turns on the air conditioning (and speeds up the electrical meter), it might be wise and more responsible to consider the much more practical options. Yes, there are some, and here are seven of them.
1. DIY Aircon
Building your own air conditioning system is a lot easier than you might think. All you need is a metal bucket, or a bowl, a bag of ice cubes, and a fan. Put the ice in the bucket and place the fan to blow over the ice. Done!
2. The fan
Ceiling fans might seem as a bit of an old- fashioned idea, but they are still around for a very good reason. If you set them to run in an anti-clockwise direction, they will draw cooler air from the floor up. Portable fans, on the other hand, are very practical at night if positioned in an open window. This way they pull the cool air from the outside.
3. Cook outside
There is nothing better than a home cooked meal, but in summer, that hot oven in the kitchen can heat up the room incredibly. The solution: either make peace with eating salads and sandwiches all summer long, or simply bring all cooking outside. Not only that barbecue food is super tasty, but also there are now many solar powered grills that even save you money while cooking the food. Or why not even make your solar oven?
4. Make maximum use of curtains, blinds and windows.
No matter how good the insulation of the house is, if sun rays get in through the windows, the temperature will go up incredibly fast. The best option you have, therefore, is to prevent heat-generating light to enter. Close up the curtains and blinds for the time of the day when the sun shines directly on that side of the house. Once the sun is set, open up all windows to allow the cool night air enter and circulate the house. You can even opt for smart blinds, or solar powered blinds, for optimal benefit.
5. Nature coolers
Trees are the miracle of nature. Not only that they fight pollution and control atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, but they can also regulate the incoming light and temperature of your home. For best results, plant a deciduous tree in the garden. It will create shade and keep both your house and garden cool in summer, while in winter, when you need natural light to get in, the leaves drop and allow this to happen too.
Unfortunately, trees are not always the option for one reason or another, but a good (unnatural) alternative would be awnings over the sunny sides.
6. Unplug unnecessary heat sources
We rarely think of it, but a plugged charger here, a TV box on stand by there, and slowly but surely all these little things draw in lots of additional heat through the sockets. The solution would be to always unplug chargers, forget about the stand-by function, switch to more efficient and much cooler LED and CFL light bulbs. And one for those of you, who have a garage attached to their house- before you park the car inside, place it outside under a tree or a shady spot until the engine cools off.
7. Do not dismiss screen doors.
Screen doors are brilliant. They allow fresh air to get in, yet keep insects (and intruders) out. Install screen doors over the exits, and allow the fresh morning/evening air circulate around.
Images (c) Getty
