25 cheap ways to keep your house cooler

[Peppermint Leaf]

This was on MSN this morning and I thought that some of you might find it interesting and helpful during the upcoming warm summer months

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...useCooler.aspx

[RadUnschooler]

We have window a/c's and i duct tape over the plastic that expands on the a/c sides,then i put foam over them. I find that helps cut down on noise and hot air seeping in because those expanders are thin. I also put foam under the air after i tape.
We lost a big shade tree to hurricane charley. We have a metal roof, it is so hot that can stand under it with two eggs,throw them up to the roof's peek and by the time they slide down they will be fully cooked..hold ya plate!

[jentilla]

It is already 99 here and 100 + tomorrow. I just ordered new windows for our downstairs and had 2 more ceiling fans installed. We are looking next week at purchasing a solar attic fan, which will knock temps in the attic by 50 degrees. I'd like to be able to keep my AC on 80, but with the heat it is just close to impossible, 75 has been pushing it.

[CameronsMama]

Originally Posted by Decluttering Nut

This was on MSN this morning and I thought that some of you might find it interesting and helpful during the upcoming warm summer months

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...useCooler.aspx

Thanks for sharing that, it has some really great tips! I'm definately going to try some of those!

[SleeplessMommy]

I would love to put a white roof on the non-visible parts of our house (one of the ideas mentioned there) A white metal roof would be quite costly though, for our situation. (big house, high roof and high cost of labor/materials right now.)

We have the whole house fan, but its been too horribly muggy these past few days to bother.

By the way, upgraded attic insulation is a wonder. Payback time can be as short as 1-2 years, and it is usually DIY. :

Last summer, we lived in the (daylight) basement for 2 months and kept the AC off.

[TudoBem]

We installed a solar powered attic fan and it's made a huge difference. Our AC is running a lot less and the upstairs feels much cooler.