Keep Your Home Cool This Summer the ‘Green’ Way Without Air Conditioning

Our Michigan summers can get to 100 degrees with very high humidity. Most everyone uses air conditioning. Our local energy board warns every year about the overuse of air conditioning and ‘brown-outs’. We have never invested in a central AC or even a window unit.

We prefer to use ‘greener’ methods which are better for the environment. They are better for our health also. They are easier on our gas and electric bills as well. We have, therefore had to research and explore methods for keeping our house cool and comfortable.

If you want or need to keep your home cool with out an air conditioning system, here are several tried and true ‘green’ tips for keeping your home or apartment cool in the summer.

Hang dark colored curtains, mini blinds or Roman shades in each window. Keep these drawn in the warm sunny part of the day.

If a cool breeze is coming in, you can put a fan on the floor to circulate cool air throughout the house. Close the windows and curtains if warm air is coming in.

Windows that face south will get lots of sun. East facing windows will get morning sun. Windows facing west will get the afternoon and evening sun, which is hotter and stronger. Close them as the sun comes in.

Keep lights off as much as possible.

Use florescent lighting which burns cool and is very efficient.

Use ceiling fans and vents and open windows during showers.

Keep the house clean. A house full of junk will be hotter.

Don’t use the oven in the hot part of the day. Use an electric frying pan or microwave for stovetop foods.

Serve cool foods like salads and sandwiches. Hot foods and beverages make you feel warm. Avoid alcohol when it’s warm; it will warm you up.
ine Be sure that your furnace is off.

When doing laundry, turn ceiling vents on and open window to keep warm moist air out. Be sure outside dryer vent is open and clean.

Do laundry in the early morning or late evening.

Use a clothes line instead of dryer, especially for towels and pants.

Invest in some quality fans, one for each window of the house. You don’t need to spend big to get good quality, if you purchase fans made in the USA. You can get a window fan for under $15.

——–You will get maximum efficiency by keeping fan blades free of dirt, which binds them up. Periodically open the face of the fan to wipe off the blades.
——–Keep the door to the room open or the fan will not be able to run properly.

——–Place the fan in the window in the early morning or late evening to pull in cool air. Be sure there is nothing catching in the fan and it can circulate freely.(curtains, etc.)

——–Don’ t run the fan in the window if the sun or warm air is coming in. Close the window and curtains and run the fan on the floor or table.

——–Oscillating fans are useful for circulating air in rooms with blinds and windows closed.

——–Run the fan on the lowest setting that will cool you.

——–Reverse the fan to rid a room of hot stuffy or moist air. It will suck warm air out of the room.

Follow these tips to enjoy a comfortable summer!