Summer Party Tip – Keeping cool without AC!

I don’t know how people survive without air conditioning. Some people even enjoy the heat.

Blech.

I keep our house at 64° year-round. I do NOT like to be hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable. Especially at night when I’m trying to sleep. No thanks.

Funny story…before we sold our first house, the central AC took a dump & we needed to get it replaced, so we had the sales-dude over the house and he was showing us the different models they had and all the features and whatnot, and at the end of his spiel, he asked me if I had any questions.

And my response was, “Yeah. How cold can it get?”

He didn’t quite understand what I was saying…so I elaborated.

I told him that I like it cold…and if I’m going to get a new central AC unit, I’d like to know what it’s limits are. Like, could I get the house into the 50’s if I really wanted. Would the thing seize up?

He said nobody had ever asked him that before….which I found kinda surprising. He told me that I’d just have to find out for myself.

After spending a bunch of money on this damn thing, I didn’t want it breaking down within the first couple of days, so I just set it at 64° and was happy with that.

But if you don’t have central AC, or even a window unit, what can you do to keep cool?????

Here’s a couple of tips:

1. Keep your windows closed & covered. If the air outside is hotter than the air inside, keeping the windows shut will help the inside of your home stay a little cooler.  Then, at night when it’s cooler outside, open them.
2. Install window film. Blocking solar UV rays from entering your house can help keep temps down. Some window films can prevent 75% of the sun’s heat from entering your home. And it’s cheap . . . about 30 bucks on Amazon.
3. Shut and insulate your doors.  If you’re spending most of your time in one room, close the doors to the rooms you aren’t using, like bedrooms or bathrooms.  That keeps the cooler air concentrated in a single area.  And if you have doors with gaps at the bottom, add some insulation.
4. Use fans the right way.  Creating a cross breeze with fans is the best way to circulate cooler air and push hot air out.  Find the coolest part of your house, and angle the fan towards the hottest part of your house.  Or, set up a make-shift air conditioner by putting a big bowl of ice in front of a fan.
5. Manage the humidity.  Humidity can make the summer heat feel even worse.  A dehumidifier won’t lower the temperature, but it WILL help you feel less sticky and uncomfortable. 
6. Or…you could always build a swamp cooler!