10 Tips to keep your cool (and keep the hot outside)!
We’re in the dog days of summer now. Days in the 90s and high humidity make it hard to get comfortable. And the cost of air conditioning can make you too anxious to turn it on. Here are 10 tips for keeping your cool when the mercury spikes.
Anita uses foil tape to seal the edges of the window air conditioner in her Dorchester home.
If you have a window air conditioner
1) Clean the filter. Pop it out, wash gently with your fingers in warm soapy water, air dry completely, then pop it back in. A dirty filter means that the a/c needs to use more energy to pull in air. A clean filter will save you money and keep you cooler.
2) Make sure there’s no outside air coming in around the air conditioner. Use tape or removable rope caulk to seal all the edges between the a/c and the window frame. Also be sure to tape shut the space between the bottom sash and the top sash.
3) Make sure all the windows in the house are closed. And close the door to the room where the window a/c is located.
4) Once the room feels cool enough, try using the energy-saving setting, if there is one, or the dry or dehumidify setting. Drier air will still feel comfortable, even if the temperature is a little warmer.
5) If the sun shines directly on the a/c in the afternoon, consider whether you could move it to a room where it wouldn’t get afternoon sun. A shaded a/c is cheaper to run than one which gets direct afternoon sun.
Anita and Sara celebrate their work sealing up the air leaks around this window air conditioner.
With or without air conditioning, there is still a lot you can do to stay cool!
6) Pull those shades on any window getting direct sun. Use curtains, blinds, whatever you have to keep the sun from heating up your room. You can even make a temporary sun reflector by taping tin foil to one side of a piece of cardboard to reflect away even more of the sun’s power.
7) Window fans, ceiling fans, and standing fans work great! Just be sure to turn them off when you leave a room. A fan doesn’t cool the air at all, it just cools your skin when you’re directly in the path of its breeze.
8) If nighttime temps are cooler outside than in, open the windows to let the cool air in. Encourage the greatest cross-breeze, by opening bottom sashes on one side of the house and top sashes on the other. In the morning, close all or most of the windows before temperatures start rising.
9) If you have an attic or multiple floors, open windows in the top floor of the house to vent the hottest air during the day. Leave slightly open one window on a shaded side of the ground floor to create a cooling draft.
10) Call 617-635-SAVE (7283) to schedule an appointment with a Mass Save-certified energy specialist to see if there are opportunities for adding insulation to your walls or attic. If you prefer to start on-line, take this 5 Minute Online Assessment to get a custom home energy profile, an estimate of potential savings, and cost-effective upgrade advice.