While many people might recoil at the thought of turning their air conditioning units off during the dog days of summer, some might prefer to do so to save some money. For those of you who are looking to give your AC unit a break, but also want to keep your home and yourself cool, here are some things you can do:
1. Close your blinds and curtains.
Although natural light enables you to keep the light switches in the off position, windows can also allow unwanted heat to enter your home. In fact, one source we found indicated that almost 30% of unwanted heat comes through windows!
2. Close doors to rooms you do not use.
If you want to keep the cool air in spots of the house that you use most often, shutting the doors to unused rooms is a smart decision.
3. Open the windows at night.
Just like temperatures drop at night during the winter, they also do the same thing during the summer. Therefore, make the most out of the cooler temperatures by opening up the windows and turning on a fan to have the air circulate throughout your home.
4. Focus on how you feel, not how cool your home feels.
Let’s face it, if our ancestors survived without air conditioning, there is no denying that you can as well. While the AC gets a rest, you can keep your body cool by sipping on cold drinks, or resting a cool cloth on your neck. Have a pool in your backyard? You can also spend the day swimming!
Even though you think it might be difficult to go without air conditioning during the hottest days of the year, it is not impossible. If you truly want to give your unit a rest and save some energy, there are many things that you can do besides the four we mentioned above!