Summer has come early this year. The temps are high. The humidity is high and staying cool is more expensive than ever. Savvy folks know there are simple, frugal ways to stay cool and not spend too much money.
The Frugal Yankee knows this and wants to share some tips. Now you may already know some of these, but then, maybe you don't.
When it comes to your house, the simple rule is keep cool in and hot out. Here are 15 tips that do just that.
Let the night's cool air in, open the windows after sunset. Then close then as the day time temperatures start to rise.
Use shades, blinds, or drapes during the hot parts of the day to keep sunlight out especially coming through those sunny windows
If you got one, fire up the attic fan to cool the house off or use window fans to send hot air out of the house.
Turn off incandescent lights, they generate 75% more heat than CFRs.
Fire up the dehumidifier, but at a moderate setting. Removing humidity makes you more comfortable, but these babies generate heat too.
Ceiling fans are effective, but if you don't have them, get a breeze going with table or window fans.
If you have AC, be smart about it. Cool down select rooms. Only use them when you are them and be sure they are in good working order. Also close off unused rooms especially if you have central air.
Don't use the stove or oven. Use the microwave. Eat salads, sandwiches, fruits and some of last night's BBQ.
Speaking of BBQ, do it and make plenty. The food tastes great, the heat stays outdoors and you'll have plenty of left overs.
Go to places where someone else is paying for the air conditioning, like the movies, stores, the mall. Take you time and enjoy the coolness.
Go swimming - be sure to wear your sunscreen. Take a cold shower, wrap a wet towel around your neck or soak you head under a hose. Remember how much fun sprinklers were?
Run appliances like the dishwasher, clothes washer or the clothes dryer at night Although the Frugal Yankee does strongly suggest using a clothesline to dry your clothes.
Minimize TV and computer use - they generate heat. Consider unplugging them or turning off the power strip when not in use. Even turned off, they use a more power and generate more heat than you would think.
Dress as if you were living in the tropics, because it sure feels like you are.
Slow down, eat less, drink more and stay away from heavy foods.
You don't have to have an expensive AC unit tossing out ice cubes to stay cool. By being a savvy Frugal Yankee you can stay cool, be cool and keep that cool green stuff in your pocket.
Those are some tips from us. What about you? How do you stay cool? Let us know!
The Frugal Yankee enjoys ilfe and spends less. He has been seen on Boston's award winning CHRONICLE and is a regular on NE Cable News There's a weekly radio show on 1550 WNTN and an awesome web site at www.FrugalYankee.com.
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Comments: 37
When a hailstorm broke my huge (8' x 5') west-facing windows, I finally decided to rid the house of the old 60s-era aluminum-frame windows and put in energy-efficient ones. It was a big investment, but they dropped my winter heating bills by about 20 % and block the summer sun, so it is much easier to keep the house cool in the summer.
I have a steamer/pressure cooker that I use to make soups and steam veggies. In the winter it goes inside to capture the heat and moisture. In summer, it goes out to the back porch where it won't heat up the kitchen.
In winter, I take the clothes dryer vent off the outside outlet and let the hot, humid air vent inside (through filters) where I keep the houseplants in winter. I insulate the outside vent opening to stop the cold air coming in. In summer I vent the dryer to the outside, but I only use it when the air is too damp to dry clothes outside. Most of the time I just let clothes dry on lines in my screened back porch.
saves me a lot, I figure the little window unit will pay for itself in two or three months.
LOL, you're kidding right? It was still 82 degrees at 3:30 this a.m. The humidity is out of sight and there is no breeze. We'd die if we open the windows!
Anyway, we really do dress like we're in the tropics, as it seems as if we are there already. Before we open the door, we always have to say one minute, while everyone gets dressed:)
Cold dinners are a tradition around here in the summer. Also, growing our largest garden yet, in hopes of cutting down some on trips to the store. With enough veggies and a little meat (or just a fried egg or two), we have dinner :)
Baby steps
Another item that involves some initial investment but that pays back all year round: insulation. We rented a machine and blew in insulation to the outside walls of 2/3 of our house over a year ago, and we'll finish the project this July 4 weekend. We immediately saw a 25-30% drop in our energy bills, both heating and air conditioning. It's paid for itself three times over by now - and it's a permanent solution.
Finally, we have a southern exposure on the back of our house, which is where the kitchen and the door to our deck is. We bought and erected a relatively inexpensive steel-frame gazebo on the deck to shade the deck (and the back wall of the house). Again, there's an initial expense but over the 4-5 months we experience 80+ degree heat, it pays for itself
(Or you could take a nice long vacation up here in the Pacific Northwest)
good tips thanks! I have a bear of a time convincing every one to close their doors and the bathroom doors during the day, we have 2 window acs one in the bedroom and one in the livign room, if we are gone they are set to 80 and only the used area is lowered when we are at home !