how do you keep your house cool?

[triboys]

Today in KC it is 90, I do not want to turn on the air conditioning. I try to hold off as long as possible. I love the fresh air,but my husband works outside all day he likes coming home to a cool house. We do have ceiling fans in the lr and our boys bedroom,along with window fans. Any advice would be great !
Thanks Kristin

[mags]

Kristin-

We are lucky that we have central a/c, esp since it gets so muggy where we live. One cheap way to help with cooling is ceiling fans (they are pretty inexpensive right now, I saw a local ad, where they are only $15 each, they only take about 30 min to install). We did not realize this until we lived briefly in NC during the unbearable summer months. Yes, we had a/c, but the ceiling fans, if left on, really seemed to help us from cranking the a/c waaay up. In our current house, each bedroom has a ceiling fan, in addition to our family room and our sunroom, and we love it. It won't replace having a/c, but my DH and I DO feel that it helps with the efficiency of keeping your house cool.

Also, a very practical way to keep your house cool is to plant trees that will give your house shade in the summer and in the winter when the leaves fall off, it will provide sunlight into your house. This of course is more of a long term thing, it won't work overnight, but if you will be in your house for many yrs, it would be worth it to plant some trees for shade. Blinds can also play a crucial role, in the summer especially, I will keep my blinds down in rooms that get the sun full blast. They also have these do it yourself kits that will block u/v and add a little bit of a tint to windows that get a lot of sun. Our sunroom gets REALLY hot in the evening, b/c of the evening sunset, so my DH used one of these kits to put up this film and it works wonders! The room doesn't get as hot as it was before. I think he got it at lowe's or home depot.

Anyway, hth! If you want some other tips, check out www.stretcher.com It is my favorite site about frugality.

[bdavis337]

90 already??? Wow!

I open up at night and have window and ceiling fans going to circulate the air. When DH leaves for work at 5:30 am he leaves the front and back doors open as well to take advantage of the early morning cooler air. I'm willing to be chilly in the morning to keep things cool later in the day if necessary! I have blinds AND insulated curtains on all of my windows, and close the windows, blinds and curtains as soon as the sun hits that side of the house. Today at 3pm it's 82 outside but only 75 in my house, which is quite manageable if you're not doing aerobics or heavy-duty housecleaning!

Also, your kitchen can really heat things up at the end of the day. If you have a basement, consider making a "summer kitchen" with a hotplate and large toaster oven. That way when you want a "real meal" you can still cook without heating up the house from the oven and stovetop.

[alegna]

We just have to use a/c. a LOT. But one thing I do that helps the bills is to turn it up when I get up, then turn it down about an hour before DH gets home. I can stand it hotter than he can and that way I save some and he still comes home to a cool house.

good luck!

-Angela

[triboys]

Thank you for all the suggestions, my husband did end up turning the ac on last night, he cannot sleep if it is hot. Angela, I already learned that little trick,my husband is the same way. Thanks for the ceiling fan idea I will try it.
Bethany, I remember a family I used to babysit did that I was amazed how cool it felt in there house,but they closed all the windows in the early morning. Mags, I will check out the web-site, I love anything that helps me save money.
Thank you, Kristin

[mimid]

When it starts to get hot, I turn on the fans and open the windows in the morning and evenings. Between 11 and 4 everything gets shut up. Also, I plan my meals so that I'm not cooking during the day.

[momto l&a]

When it gets hot here I open all windows and doore come eveing and close them come morning. If the house stays closed during the day it stays cool pretty well.

Something that helps for temps up into the 80's I think is a whole house fan. They are cheeper than ac.

[melissa17s]

We have a whole house fan. It is in the attic and comes on when the attic reaches a specific temp., which we set. It pulls air out of the house so if our windows are open it creates air movement because they suck in air. It works well most of the time, but we did get ac when ds was born. We try to run the fan until late june before turining on the ac as long as we are not too miserable.

[bdavis337]

Is your house fan quiet??? We have one sitting in the garage waiting for DH to install it, which probably won't happen this summer! I do remember that my MIL has a house fan, and it works well but it's terribly loud.

[PikkuMyy]

We have low-e film on our windows - it's this thin grey/silver plastic film that you put on with a sponge and this special soap that comes with it. It blocks 90% of the UV rays, thus preventing sun fading to books and furniture, and it also blocks a lot of heat!!! It is really cheap and saves on both your heating and cooling bills. We have it on all windows but one and when you put your hand from one to the other when the sun is shining, you can really feel the difference of the heat! Everyone should have it!

[Bethla]

We bought a small Vornado fan and it actually keeps a large part of our house very cool and it's not that loud.

[Rebecca]

We used to have one of those huge attic fans but we got rid of it a few years ago. It sounded like a jet engine and created a vortex of wind in the house practically! LOL The previous home owner said to always make sure there's a window open somewhere or the house will be full of chimney soot (from the air being sucked in through the chimney). We'd open the basement door and it would suck cold air throughout the house.

Now we close up the house during the hot hours and open windows at night (well, now it's still cold here... frost last night!). We only use AC in our bedroom a few times a year when it's unbearably hot and muggy. We play in the basement playroom when it's hot. It's always a nice 70 degrees down there year round. We use lots of fans throughout the house too.

[RubyWild]

Planted shade trees in the appropriate places.
Built a patio cover off kitchen.
Turn fan on in basement and blow it up the stairs.
Keep windows open all night; it cools off here always, even on 100 degree days.

We plan to install an attic fan to blow hot air out and draw cooler air in.

[Mothra]

Turning on the AC after having it off all day will use more electricity than leaving it turned on to 72 all the time. It takes a long time for the house to cool off.

In the Keys where I'm from hardly anyone has AC, or used to, and here in Hawaii it is the same thing. We have window units downstairs and turn them off at night or if we're outside. It isn't the same as central AC, but they use less electricity and you only have to cool the room you are in. In the evening, after it cools off, we open the windows. We don't have them upstairs because we aren't up there during the day and at night fans work just fine.

Ceiling fans help a LOT. We also have oscilating fans in almost every room. Just circulating the air helps it feel cooler.

[girlstar808]

Here is some info about keepign your house cooler and saving $$...From my info I have collected online over the years:

Install weatherstripping and reflective window film and yes, shading plants and trees really do help

Use a thermostat timer and try setting your thermostat to keep air conditioning at 78°F or thereabout when it's hot outside

Close cooling vents and keep doors closed to unused rooms, but closing too many can make the unit work harder so be careful and balance it.


Try to set your a/c unit in a shady part of your home - this saves 10%

Open your windows in the morning to bring in cool air then close them to keep warm air out

Replace air filters monthly for maximum benefit and to keep your system running in its optimum condition

Perform scheduled maintenance on a/c units including cleaning condenser coils, replacing air filters, and checking ducts and pipe insulation for damage

Ditto on using ceiling fans as they will raise the thermostat setting up to four degrees while maintaining the same comfort level and save $$$

Of course, appliance usage is a big variable. Use energy saving appliances, hang up your laundry rather than use a dryer, cook at night or use a slow cooker, etc. Ovens really overheat the house, especially during summer.

Take advantage of a free energy audit from your utility company since they can give tips.

Use fans. Here's an excerpt from about.com:

Fans - Fans are inexpensive to buy and operate. Compared to air conditioning systems of any kind, you'll spend mere pennies instead of dollars. It's good to have a variety of fans, but if you can only have one, make it a floor model, with an adjustable height and movement. You can find them under twenty dollars and sometimes as low as ten dollars.

A very cost effective way to cool your house in all but the hottest climate is to use fans to cool the house at night. Pull hot air up and out through your kitchen and/or bathroom exhaust fan while pushing in cooler night air with the help of fans in open windows or doors.

Keep your fans in tip-top operating condition by keeping them free of dust and grime. Unplug the fan and use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean around the motor and small places. Mild soap and warm water will sufficiently clean everything else. Make sure it's completely dry before plugging it back in.

While fans are wonderfully frugal appliances, if they're running for hours and hours, needed or not, they're wasting electricity. Turn them off as soon as your cooling or circulating needs have been met.

Hope this helps!

[boongirl]

Originally Posted by bdavis337

I open up at night and have window and ceiling fans going to circulate the air.

This is exactly what we do but we close up as soon as the outdoor air begins to rise above morning air, around 9am. The rest of the day, we have nice cool, albeit kinda dark house. We have blinds in each room and we keep them closed, too. I try to do cooking in the early am and we either bbcue or eat cold food for dinner if it is really hot. Also, we have a lot of trees in the yards next door so that helps shade us. We have no air conditioning and it can get up to 90 outside but still be 65 inside in our house. Also, in the evening, we use the fans to suck the air in the house out, causing ventilation inside because the windows are all open. Dh aims them fan pointing out the window, so they suck the indoor air out. Seems odd, but we have the coolest house I know in our neighborhood.

[yeni]

I only do laundry during the day if I'm washing on cold. Laundry on warm/hot or running the dishwasher only happens at night during the summer. I've found that just drying a load of clothes or running the dishwasher raises the temp in the house by at least 2 degrees.

Sometimes I use the crockpot outside or in the basement. Even though it doesn't give off much heat, I've found that it still makes the kitchen feel hotter, especially if what I'm cooking adds humidity to the air.

[Got_Cloth]

We struggle to keep our home cool. We have hit 112 at my house alreadyt his year and I think i heard 114 by mid week. our AC broke last year and is not worth fixing but we dont have 5K laying around to fix it. we have an evap and ceiling fans and my girls play naked in the kiddie pool all day LOL at night it is nice again. so we jsut suffer during the day. Alsmost time for our daily trips to the mall and library and mc'ds for ice cream and playland LOL
we manage but it is not easy. if we are 114 in May, cant wait to see what july will be. I

[herc]

is the low e film removable? we have an older home, and I wouldnt want to affect the value of it, but I would really like to make it a bit more energy efficent
heather

[Thursday Girl]

our house was built in '28 so it was made to be cool (well the windows/glass wasn't and i will check out that uv stuff). when getting fans may i suggest trying to find older fans with 4 blades (i think i will count them when we get home). we have two in our house they are made of metal and they spin so fast and actually create a very very nice breeze. I will be looking for more to replace the newer fans we have.


I have a question about the attic fan though. we have one but i really don't think it is working. DH and grandma (who had one growing up) says it is supposed to create a breeze and it doesn't. is it, do the windows have to be only opened slightly? you can buy new ones too? How much to they cost. i hate turning the AC on until we have to and we actually have to buy a new central heat /ac unit as ours broke.

what a great thread. Thanks Ladies.

Courtney