Every year we are experiencing more hotter summers and as per the scientists, it is going to get much hotter in coming years.

The hottest year on record was 2021, and as runaway climate change continues, 2022 is looking to be much hotter. Residents are adjusting to a new climate reality as places where air conditioners were formerly unnecessary, face record temperatures.

Turning on the air conditioning when it gets hot also means emptying your wallet. Follow these smart suggestions to save money on air conditioning and to reduce your impact on the environment.

How to Keep Cool Without having Home Air Conditioning

Keep the curtains closed

Keep your curtains closed during the hottest part of the day to keep the sun (and its intense heat) out of your house. Even better if you have blackout drapes or shutters. If your windows are covered with blinds or don’t have curtains, cover them with blankets or towels instead. Use materials with lighter colors to reflect light rather than absorb it.

Keep hydrated

To stay cool, it’s important to stay hydrated. Your body’s temperature is regulated by water as it cools itself through perspiration. Your body has to be often rehydrated because it is losing water when you are working out all day. Prevent being dehydrated by drinking water before you feel thirsty. 

Take a cool shower or go swimming

In order to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke, it’s important to lower your core body temperature. Your body will lose heat by conduction—the transfer of your body’s temperature to the water—if you take a chilly shower or go for a fast swim near a body of water. Use peppermint soap or fragrant oils in the shower to increase the coolness. Consider how eating a piece of peppermint chocolate makes your mouth feel cool; this is the effect of the menthol, a cooling ingredient in peppermint, which awakens cold-sensing neurons. Your body will experience the same while you are relaxing in the bathtub.

Cool Your Pulse Points 

The blood vessels are closer to the skin at your body’s pulse points, where exposure to low temperatures can assist cool down the rest of your body. On the wrists, temples, neck, chest, inside of the elbows, and knees, apply ice packs or rags immersed in cold water. Leave for 15 to 20 minutes while working or relaxing, then replace as needed.

Insulate your walls and attic.

Numerous factors that keep your house warm in the winter also keep it cool in the summer. Insulation, for instance, lowers energy costs by keeping the heat out and the cool air in.

Cross-Ventilate

Place box fans inside window frames or place standing fans in front of them, facing the room, to draw in cold air from the outside. Cooler air from the outside will replace the heated air inside as a result of the fans rotating. Do this particularly in the morning and evening when it is cooler outside.
Better yet, install fans in both windows, one facing inward toward the room and the other facing out, if there is a straight shot between two windows on opposite sides of a room, hallway, or apartment. Although it may seem paradoxical, using this technique will allow air to move between the two windows, bringing in cooler air while forcing hotter air out. Lock the doors of empty rooms to keep cool air inside.

Try insulated window films

Window films provide many advantages, like lowering energy expenses and granting you privacy while allowing you to take in the view and light of the great outdoors. They can lower temperature imbalances in your home by up to 98 percent when compared to windows that aren’t covered.

Prevent cooking, or do it outside

A house can become very warm when cooking. If a hot day is anticipated, prepare your meals the night before or meal prep in advance of a heat wave so you will have microwaveable foods on hand. Utilizing a slow cooker or eating foods like cereal, wraps, sandwiches, and salads that don’t require any heating at all will also reduce heat. If you have access to an outside area, prepare meals on the grill or outside by plugging in a hotplate.

Dress Appropriately

Wearing the right clothes can help keep your skin cooler when it’s hot outside. Dress comfortably in light-colored, loose-fitting attire and open-toed shoes. Lower thread counts tend to be more breathable, but higher thread counts tend to have a tighter weave and retain heat. Avoid wearing nylon, acrylic, and other synthetic textiles in order to stay cool; instead, opt for linen, cotton, and other natural fabrics.

Stay at lower levels

The attic and top floors of the house should ideally be avoided since heat rises. If the upstairs bedrooms are still warm when it is time for bed, move downstairs and set up camp there. The basement is typically the coolest room in the house since it is typically damper and has less exposure to light than higher floors. You can use some fans to make the area below feel cooler while you sleep.

Search for a Cooling Center

Find a place to spend the day with air conditioning if the temperature is dangerously high or if the heat in your home is making it difficult for you to operate. To work or study under the air conditioning, go to a public library or coffee shop. You may also choose to relax in a shaded park or yard and take advantage of the afternoon breeze. For those without air conditioning, many cities also offer cooling centers. Find nearby cooling facilities and make preparations for heat waves.

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