Keeping it cooler

[pomtzu]

So now that we are in the middle of an oppressive heat wave here, and the a.c. is working, it has seen more efficient years, so I'm looking for ways to cut down on the amount of extra heat we normally generate in the house. I have a few ways, but would love more suggestions if anyone has any.

Very early morning or later night, lukewarm only showers.
No cooking by oven (very seldom do in the summer anyway), and cooking early morning (when possible) on stovetop only. Range is electric, so it doesn't have as much heat escape into the room as gas does anyway. If cooking at dinner time - on stovetop and quick cook meals only. It's a Manwich night tonight!
Using the gas grill outside when possible, but mine is a real pain to light, so usually only use it on weekends when someone else can do the honors.
Eating more cold meals such as sandwiches and wraps and salads.
When using the clothes dryer, when the signal goes off that the clothes are dry, reset it to air only (no heat) and run for about 10 minutes to disburse the residual heat and completely cool down the clothes so that it isn't putting any heat into the house when the door is opened. Mine's in the mud room right off the kitchen and not in a basement (which I don't have).

Anyone have any other tips??? - other than to buy a new a.c. unit??? Yup - that's been discussed for the past 3 summers - and talk is cheaper than a new one!

[boomersooner]

I live near Dallas, so I feel your pain....will be 98 today, I think....We had to get a new AC unit three summers ago, and just paid it off!! They are very expensive!! Last summer, we found out our city would give a rebate if you got new insulation. We've lived in our house for 15 years, and we had not a clue if new insulation had ever been put in the attic or not...well, we did....it cost us $900 but we got a $300 dollar credit on our next utility bill. I think it has helped tremendously with the energy costs....We'll see for sure when I get my next bill because this has been a hotter summer than last. New insulation is a lot cheaper than a new AC unit....

[Cataholic]

Draw all blinds/shades/shutters. Keep them closed. It serves dual purposes- keeps out the heat and keeps the house darker- which seems to feel cooler to me.

Drink lots of fluids (your choice...but I suggest chilled white wine).

Walk around nekkid. LOL.

[Catty1]

Putting a fan in the window so it blows the hot air out and hopefully draws the cooler air from the lower regions of the dwelling, even if you are in an apartment.

[Catty1]

Here's a link to info about swamp coolers - and even how to make a low-tech one in your home.

http://www.helium.com/items/1540379-...and-wet-towels

[pomtzu]

Putting a fan in the window so it blows the hot air out and hopefully draws the cooler air from the lower regions of the dwelling, even if you are in an apartment.

It's central air in a single family dwelling - all windows stay closed - otherwise you are totally defeating running it in the first place. Kinda like trying to keep things in the fridge cool with the door left open.

Draw all blinds/shades/shutters. Keep them closed. It serves dual purposes- keeps out the heat and keeps the house darker- which seems to feel cooler to me.

Drink lots of fluids (your choice...but I suggest chilled white wine).

Walk around nekkid. LOL.

Yup - already do the blinds things. Naked - oh my - wouldn't want to scare the dogs!!! Now chilled white wine is doable......

I live near Dallas, so I feel your pain....will be 98 today, I think....We had to get a new AC unit three summers ago, and just paid it off!! They are very expensive!! Last summer, we found out our city would give a rebate if you got new insulation. We've lived in our house for 15 years, and we had not a clue if new insulation had ever been put in the attic or not...well, we did....it cost us $900 but we got a $300 dollar credit on our next utility bill. I think it has helped tremendously with the energy costs....We'll see for sure when I get my next bill because this has been a hotter summer than last. New insulation is a lot cheaper than a new AC unit....

Same temps here - YUK!
Three years ago we put an addition on the house, and a new roof on the existing structure. I swear that the contractor hosed up on the insulation when he did the roof, since it seems to be worse since then. The addition is much cooler as it has it's own heat (cool) pump in that section.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

We don't have A/C here, and it can get very hot during the day! Luckily, though, it's a dry heat which is much easier to tolerate. We have fans in the windows on at night to pull in the cool air (it usually hits between 55-65 for a nighttime low). I turn them off when I get up and draw the shades to keep out the hot sun. It works pretty well, actually, and is much cheaper than running A/C. We have a finished basement that we spend time in if it gets too hot outside, since it's always cooler downstairs.

You could try getting some fans, which always help you feel cooler. Also, why not rig up a clothes line and dry your clothes outside? I also find that limiting my activity during the hottest part of the day helps me stay cooler. Then, when it cools off in the evening it feels good to take a walk outside.

[Karen]

We do not use the AC, we have one window unit, but it rarely stays hot long enough to bother putting it in. Paul doesn't mind hot weather one bit - actually prefers it.

But we also do that works really well for us, given the position of the house, hills, trees, etc.

At night, when it's cooler outside, windows are open, and fans draw cool air in. In the morning, fans come out, windows are shot and blinds pulled down.

I also do not blow dry my hair when it gets so hot out - I figure any less heat added to the room has to be good, right? And air-drying ones hair does not use any electricity, either!

Also, laundry is only done late at night, when temps are coolest.

[pomtzu]

Karen - I would be dead without a.c.!

I use fans to move the air too - a couple of pedestal fans and some countertop size. Son and DIL have a ceiling fan in their bedroom and it actually keeps it chilly when combined with the cooled air, but the one in the family room decided to die.

Once the a.c. is on for the season, it is much more economical to leave it on since it will not have to work as hard to recool and dry out everything if you turn it off at night. And last night, the temp never went below 80. The only time we might turn it off during the summer, is if we have an extended spell of cooler and drier weather, like 3 or 4 days or more. Otherwise it stays on, but it will only run as needed.

[Taz_Zoee]

I wish someone could get it through Bruce's head to leave the blinds closed!! Especially in our bedroom. It gets the afternoon sun beating through the slider. But he opens all the blinds when he gets up and then forgets to close them again later.

Last year we got a whole house fan. We open doors and windows and turn this on and it pulls the cool air in from outside and pulls the hot air out through the attic. It works REALLY well as long as the temp outside is cooler than inside. So we do not have to use the AC as much. I'm not sure how it has affected the electricity bill, since I do not see it.

So far we have not had super hot temps consistently. Today it is in the upper 70's. PERFECT!!! But I'm sure we will get up into the hundreds soon enough.

Stay cool everyone!

[Asiel]

We couldn't survive without a/c either. But the weather is so ever changing here that we go from a/c to heat. Today is a bit cooler so the a/c hasn't run, but it's 73 in the house so I'm sure it will run any minute. If it cools to 69 during the night I turn the furnace on so it doesn't get cooler than that. No sun today so the blinds are up but when the sun is out everything is closed because we have a lot of huge windows and the house becomes an oven in no time. If it's cool enough I leave the walldoors open from the utility room to the deck and I open all the windows to make a breeze. Been very humid all week so I've kept the furnace on to keep that humidity out. Hopefully by tomorrow the sun will be back and we can turn off the heat fior the weekend, seems so winter like when that furnace is running.
I don't use the oven either, defeats the purpose of the a/c. We bbq most of our food if it's hot foods, lately we've had a lot of salads.

[snakemama]

It's 105 right now, I'd be toast without the A/C. Not to mention it would kill my snakes. Ugh, Jasper's class this morning was a sweaty mess.

[boomersooner]

There is no way I could survive without AC.....it is humid here...I really don't know how I grew up with only a window unit....Good luck to everyone who is hot today!!!!

[moosmom]

I put my window unit in my living room since me and the fur crew spend the majority of our time there. My cats get mad when they don't have an open window to sit in, so I leave my bedroom window open and the door to my bedroom open just a crack, enough for them to get in and out, and for me to check on Phoenix in her carrier.

At night, I shut the air off and just have a fan blowing on me. Not great, but when you sleep in your underwear, it'll do.

[Daisy and Delilah]

In Florida, our AC units pretty much run constantly. I turn mine up to 78-80 and run fans in each room. It stays fairly cool. I also have to use a cool, damp washcloth to help end the hot flashes. Really cools me off right away.

We never use the oven during the summer. Only microwave and cold stuff. Alot of people here turn their AC way up and go somewhere cool for the day. i.e. window shopping at the mall, grocery store. movie theater. Wherever there is AC and it doesn't cost a fortune. We drink cold drinks all the time. Alot of ice water or iced tea.
Basically, most of us sweat alot too I think. What else can we do? We're also fortunate to have swimming pools all over the place to cool ourselves off. Anything we can think of to make it through the summer down here.