How can you keep the house cool during the hot summer months cheaply?
Question:We have a pretty large house in Long Island, NY and even though summer hasn't even really gotten to its peak, the temperatures are getting almost unbearable. Can anyone help me find ways to keep the house cool without spending a lot of money?
Answers:
Shade trees are a long term way, but it takes patience. Consider something fast growing and plant to shade windows/doors openings. Open windows during the night when the air is cooler - shutting them in the morning when temps start to rise. Have room-darkening shades on the windows that get direct sun. Awnings on windows. Consider a deck with a gazebo type roof above some windows. Plan the air circulation through the house, don't just have fans everywhere pointing every which-a-way. Bring up air from the basement. Some type of dehumidifier (although many models throw off warmed air, be careful, dry air is cooler.
put tinfoil on the windows
Try http:// www.care2.com/ greenliving/ 218.html, an article entitled "Twenty-three Tips for Keeping the House Cool." Other possibly helpful links include: http:// hometips.com/ articles/ cool_noAC.html, http:// jambalaya.bayswaterfarm.com/ archives/ 000026.html, and http:// realtytimes.com/ rtcpages/ 20020604_coolhouse.htm. Some of the ideas are common to most or all of the sites, but by reading several you'll find at least a few that you can implement soon or over time.
(Originally the links didn't seem to work, so copy and paste those above, removing the spaces after the slashes. Sorry for the extra work; I don't know where I'm going wrong!)
Good luck!
If you have central air, a good way to cut down on the impact of using an AC in the summer is to invest in a programmable thermostat. Set it to a temperature, so that when you are not home, the AC does not run. Most programmables allow you to set the day and the time for this. Additionally, set it to a cooler temperature approximately 30 minutes before you typically arrive home. Lastly, also enter a program for when you are typically sleeping and aren't as bothered by the temperature. Properly using the programmable thermostat has worked wonders on my energy bill during the past two summers.
lower ur thermostat and use ceiling fans, i lower my thermostat to 78 and use all ceiling fans!
Keep it as dark as you can and don't let the heat in from windows doors, keep fans on. Let the cooler air in at night close them in the morning . Don't boil water and open the bath room window to let out humidity when you shower and turn on the exhaust fan.
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