12 Ways to Cool Your Home Without Air Conditioning
If your summer energy bill is leaving you hot under the collar, consider these savvy alternate strategies for cooling down
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design is collected, not decorated, and that homes should always be as comfortable and functional as they are chic. In addition to writing for Houzz, I work as the Head Copywriter for Layla Grayce and Zinc Door.
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design... More »
Summer heat waves have everyone looking for ways to cool down at home. Blasting the air conditioner isn't always an option, and it certainly uses a lot of energy. Instead of shelling out the big bucks to keep cool, consider several alteratives that can make a big difference.
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| 1. Choose light-colored blinds. Installing window shades or blinds is a no-brainer. But light-colored shades tend to be more effective, since they reflect the heat back outside. Close south- and west-facing curtains during the day to further reduce heat. Consider applying window tint too. "You have no idea how incredible the new 3M window film products are — not only for reducing heat, but also for cutting down on the UV factor that can fade your carpet and materials," says window designer and specialist Cory Jacoby of the Jacoby Company. "This should be your first line of defense." |
2. Use liners with your shades. Bamboo or tightly woven shades are another good way to cut the heat. "The trick here is to install an operational liner as well that can be pulled down for sun and heat control," says Jacoby. "This is truly the best of both worlds, because you see outside through the weave when you want, and then lower the shade behind it for sun protection when necessary."
3. Install ceiling fans. "Ceiling fans can make a room feel much cooler, since they circulate the air. And considering they can cost as low as $100, they're often an investment that is not only affordable but easy," says general contractor LuAnn Fabian.
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by ARCHIA HOMES
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| 4. Open the windows at night. Ventilate your home on cooler days or at night to reduce any hot air that has snuck indoors. Open windows in all rooms of the house and place window fans facing out on the downwind side of your home. Make sure all interior doors are open to keep the air moving. |
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| 5. Plant shade trees. Exercise your green thumb by planting shade trees around the house. Design associate Andrew Spiering of Terra Ferma Landscapes suggests casting shadows on the southwestern exposure of the home using large deciduous trees, like oaks, sycamores and elms. "Other ideas include increasing humidity around the home using layered planting or reducing hardscape," he says. |
by Liquidscapes
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6. Allow ivy to crawl up the walls. Ivy provides a buffer between your home and the sun. "Planting a green wall or vines on the home reduces reflection and absorbs heat," says Spiering.
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| 7. Cover the south side of your home. Install awnings on south-facing windows to make up for insufficient roof overhang and provide additional shade in the summer. |
8. Turn off the TV. Keep heat-generating appliances, such as lamps and televisions, off or away from your air-conditioning unit or thermostat. The unit works harder to react to nearby heat, thinking your home is hotter than it truly is.
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by Holly Marder
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| 9. Get a hood fan. If you don’t have a range fan in the kitchen, consider the investment. Cooking can generate ample heat throughout the house, and a range fan can help significantly with venting that hot air back outdoors. |
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| 10. Replace your lightbulbs. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents — according to Fabian, CFLs can emit up to 75 percent less heat. |
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| 11. Paint your roof white. A white roof will help to reflect heat away from your home and help keep the attic — one of the hardest areas to cool — as low in temperature as possible. |
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| 12. Update your insulation. Many newer homes are required to follow certain thickness codes for insulation, but older designs may need an update. "Replacing insulation in older homes will definitely reduce the heat indoors," says Fabian. More: Cool Architecture for Hot Summers |
Ideabook published on July 31, 2012.
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Besides ivy look at Virginia Creeper - it's deciduous and get's a lovely colour in the fall.
tigerprincess, I didn't mean to duplicate you on the attic fan. I just failed to refresh. Keep up the great ideas!
So in the summer it helps insulate and beautify the home, which was a sea of gray stucco, very stark. During the winter months, which are typically cold, wet and damp, it can breath and stay dry.
This can be very aggressive, so you need to be diligent with your maintenance.
After this house went through a major renovation and addition, the goal was to make old (100 years) and new appear seamless. Most of what you see in the image is an addition 5 years young, but it doesn't appear that way, mission accomplished!
http://gardendrama.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/boston-ivy-puts-on-a-show/
It's a totally different animal. And yes, I panicked when the landscaper mentioned ivy.
.You must have one thing in mind when it comes to colors: Dark colors are heat sinking colors and light colors are heat reflectors. So, the shade you talk about should be white to reflect the sun's heat. Also, I see in the pictures you provide, which are fantastic, that you use light bulbs which give off lots of heat, instead use neon light bulbs which give cool light besides saving in electricity; so you have an idea, a 13 Watt neon light bulb is equivalent to a 60 Watt regular light bulb. Fans are ok but if the air is warm it distributes warm air throughout the house. Also, the windows should be energy efficient meaning that they should deflect the sun light instead of absorbing it as glass is a porous liquid...the heat from the sun heats up the interior of the house through the glass of the windows. Now, if you install a Cooler, you have all windows closed and one window, or sliding door, should be slightly open so the cool air from the Cooler forces the warm air out of the house. Your house can be kept at about 60-65 degrees F depending on the size of the Cooler. There are lots of things people can do in order to have an energy efficient house but the architects and contractors just don't think and are ignorant in that respect. A house can be 100% energy efficient and self-contained also regardless of the season of the year.
Regards, Cicuta
I sent you a review but I don't see it posted. Did you read it? if not I can send it again. In my comment, I explains what a Cooler is and how it works but at the end I mentioned that you can go to Home Depot or Lowe's or any hardware store to see it first hand. It is great.
Cicuta
A Cooler is a metallic container with removable perforated panels on the sides with filers (straw or foam). Inside the container there is a water pump, an electric motor with a fan driven by a belt. Water from a water source is stored at the bottom of the container; the water is maintained at a certain level with a floater. The water pump circulates the cold water from top to bottom wetting the filters and the fan moves air from the outside ambient, through the Cooler and into the house. It is a simple principle which works great. They are sold by Home Depot, Lowe’s or any other hardware store.
Black color is a heat sink meaning it absorbs heat, in winter time is OK as it helps warm up the ambient of the kitchen but in summer it makes it warmer. A white shade works a lot better. Seems to me the store people do not know anything about colors. Remember: Cool colors are always light colors and warm colors are dark colors being black the hottest of all...simple Physics.
Do the following experiment: In summer time with temperatures in the 90s dress up all black and soon enough you will be sweating like a horse; then switch to a white dress and you will see the difference.
RE: the coolers. Are these coolers noisy? I have concrete floors and very tall ceilings and an open floor plan, so I try not to add any more noise! These coolers are interesting as with straw bale I have no options for an AC installation. I only experience 15-25 days at the most of really hot/humid weather so AC wouldn't pay off anyway. Besides, I'm not an AC lover and prefer efficient ceiling fans.
.As always is the case, you have to weight your options, likes and dislikes; however, I like to be in a cool environment. I lived for 6 years in Orlando, FL; so, I know what heat and humidity is...every home has those fans and AC as well; so, the electricity bill is hansom. Coolers have two speeds and noisy if you use the high speed; so, the things to do is run high speed for a while with the pump ON and then go to the low speed which is not that noisy, in fact, you can watch TV even if the cooler is nearby. Also, you have to select where to install the Cooler so the noise is not bothersome...but get this...you're as cool as a cucumber and your electric bill is not that much. Always weight your options, likes and dislikes before doing anything.
I also live in NorCA; however, I live in Placerville which is kind of cool even when temperatures in San Joaquin valley hit the 120 degrees. Regarding your question about the oven; keep in mind that countertop ovens are small and cannot do the things a big oven does. Also, countertop ovens take up space and if your kitchen is small you will need the space probably. Microwave ovens on the other hand have also Convection capabilities as well as microwave. The best thing to do is to have a stove with the oven in it and then a small microwave/convection oven for trivial things.
Thanks for the topic and suggestions. I have 3 ceiling fans in my townhouse - love the one in my bedroom. I'm thinking of looking into installing an attic fan. I just moved in to this townhouse a year ago and have already put in all new windows throughout at the cost of over $10,000 which was better than the first estimate of $25,000!!! I was also thinking about putting a retractable awning on the back over the cement slab which serves as a "patio." The sun hits that side of the townhouse in the morning. Has anyone tried that to help reduce the heat during the summer?