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According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, three-quarters of U.S. homes are air-conditioned, and electricity bills increase the most in summer. Every hour when the air conditioner is turned off or the temperature is set high is the same as depositing change into your bank account. In three or four months, these small changes add up to save a lot of money.
“We can confidently say that your HVAC is the largest part of your utility bills, so it can be said that making adjustments will be your biggest benefit,” said Duke Energy spokeswoman Sally Salen , The company provides electricity in six states.
Now there is no reason to sit at home and sweat when it is 95 degrees outside, but if you know how to cool the room without air conditioning, you can stay here and there for a few hours, and you will be a lot cooler when you are. Your electricity bill.
17 tips to keep your house cool without air conditioning
The Department of Energy, Duke Energy, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and some Floridians provided expert advice on how to cool a house without turning on the air conditioner.
1. Add a $20 screen door
The screens on the front and back doors can be cross-ventilated in the morning and evening, and if it is too hot outside, it can be ventilated throughout the day. You can buy a wooden screen door for about $100, and you can pay to install it if it is not convenient for you.
But there are a few Options Starting at $18, you can install them on the door frame yourself by using Velcro or a similar simple process.
2. Homemade air conditioner
Let air flow through your house from nature or fan coolers.
- Fill a mixing bowl or shallow bowl with ice cubes and place it in front of the fan.
- Hang a wet sheet in front of the open window.
- Roll up a towel soaked in cold water and stick it in front of the box fan.
3. Put the box fan in the window to exhaust the hot air
Say goodbye to hot air. Face the box fan towards the window of the room you are using. Then turn on the ceiling fan to keep the cooler air flowing.
No need to buy a few fans, just move them from the family room or kitchen to the bedroom at night.
4. Close the doors of unused rooms
Close the doors of unused rooms so that cold air from ceiling fans, cross breeze or air conditioning only needs to circulate in the occupied area of the house. You can roll up a towel to block the space under the closed door.
5. Close curtains, blinds and curtains
You don’t have to sit in the dark all summer. But covering the windows during the hottest part of the day can prevent the sun’s rays from heating your house further. Blackout curtains are particularly effective in keeping cold air in.
6. Open the window sooner or later
If the temperature in the place where you live is between 50 and 70 degrees in the morning and evening, please open the windows and blow out the cross wind. Turn them off when the temperature rises and the sun gets brighter.
7. Change the direction of the ceiling fan
The ceiling fan should rotate counterclockwise in summer to generate a downward breeze.
Ceiling fan manufacturer Hunter says that you can set the air conditioner thermostat to four degrees higher than the desired temperature, and the fan will move the air in the right direction. Eighty degrees feels like 76 degrees.
Most ceiling fans have a switch on the central module that can change the direction of rotation.
(In winter, they rotate clockwise and the fan speed is low, so they can recirculate the hot air that rises to the top of the room.)
8. Create a cross breeze
To enjoy the good cross breeze of the outdoor air on a breezy summer night, open the windows a few inches. The fewer times you open them, the more drafts you create. If your windows are open at the top and bottom, open the lower glass on one side of the house and the upper glass on the other side.
9. Use all exhaust fans
The ventilation of the fan above the kitchen stove and the bathroom exhaust fan can increase the airflow efficiency through the house and reduce moisture.
10. Fill in cracks and leaks to keep cool air
Keep cool air in and hot air out by filling all leaks and cracks in the home. Use weather strips to seal air leaks around movable objects (such as doors and windows), and use caulking agents to fill cracks and gaps in fixed frames around walls or doors and windows.
11. Use cotton sheets to keep cool during sleep
Cotton is one of the most breathable materials, so make sure your sheets are cotton.
12. Wear clothes made of natural fibers to keep cool during the day
Compared with synthetic fibers, clothes made of natural fibers such as cotton or linen can provide more airflow and less perspiration when it is hot. When you are trying to stay cool without air conditioning, make them your summer fashion choice.
13. Sleep and socialize in the basement
Heat rises, so if you have a basement, set up a temporary sleeping area there. Some families enjoy summer lunch and dinner in the basement. This is definitely a place where children should play. (Don’t crowd too close, or you will feel overheated.) If you have a two-story house, sleep on the first floor.
14. Turn off unnecessary lights
Again, there is no need to be completely black in the summer of 2021. However, if you want to keep your house cool without AC power, make sure to turn off the lights in the rooms you are not using because the bulbs will give off heat.
15. Use electrical appliances at night
Run the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer at night when it is cool.
16. Cook in the morning
Don’t cook at night when the sun is still hanging high on the house all day long when it is warm. Cook in the morning and heat in the microwave before dinner. Or provide more cold foods such as sandwiches, fruits and cereals.
17. Unplug the electronic device
Electronic products generate heat, so please unplug the power plug when not in use to keep the house cool. They also consume a small amount of electricity around the clock, even when not in use. Ever heard of the term energy vampire?
How to save energy when using air conditioners
Sometimes it’s too hot in summer, the ceiling fan can’t stop it, and you just Have Run air. Many of the above tips will allow you to lower your thermostat and electricity bills. Here are three other ways to reduce the use of air conditioning while keeping your home cool.
1. Keep the air conditioner on low, don’t turn it off when you’re away
Whether it is on or off when no one is at home is a long-standing debate. Some people say that after the room becomes hot, without turning on the air conditioner for a whole day, cooling the room requires more energy than cooling a few degrees at a higher temperature.
“Generally speaking, our recommendation is to open it, but not to close it,” said Thelen of Duke Energy. “Cooling the whole house from scratch will work harder. We recommend raising it to 78 or higher, and then returning to a comfortable level on the thermostat when you return.”
2. Regularly replace the air filter of the air conditioner
Dirty air filters can make HVAC systems more difficult to work and consume more energy.
Look at these Nine kinds of energy-saving home improvement To further reduce your electricity bill.
3. Close the damper
Close the fireplace damper. The Department of Energy reminds us to close the damper so that precious cold air will not escape from the chimney and hot air will not enter the house.
Katherine Snow Smith is the senior writer of The Penny Hoarder.
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