Five Ways To Cool Down Your Home Without Turning On The AC

Boy, last weekend was hot in the Mohawk Valley. We may see temperatures in the mid to upper 80s again soon. Inspired by a story I read in the Huffington Post, let me share with you the five things you can do to keep your house cool without touching the air conditioning. We do these five things, and they work.

1) Close the blinds.

Up to a third of the warmth in your home comes through your windows, so close the blinds and keep the heat outside.

2) Fire up the grill more often.

Turning on the stove will also turn up the temperature in your house. Hey, take advantage of grilling season while we have it because, we don't get very much of it here in Central New York.

3) The air at night is cool so let it in.

If you live in a safe neighborhood and have adequate screening, you'll cool down the house tremendously by simply opening the windows overnight.

2) Shut the door.

Now I know why my parents always yelled, "Shut The Door!" Not only does it prevent the heat from escaping in the winter, but it helps keep the cool air in during the summer. Also close that door to that unused room.

1) Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter-clockwise.

By setting your ceiling fan to counter-clockwise in the summer months, the reversed airflow will create a breeze that should cool you down a bit.

And if all of theses suggestions fail, just turn on the air conditioning. Stay cool.

[Huffington Post]