Low-Tech Ways to Cool Your Home This Summer

Original graphic from the Department of Energy's Cooling Your Home Naturally.

Did you know that 5% of all the energy produced in the US is used up for household air conditioners? When you're suffering through the heat of the summer and desperate for relief, it can be tempting to just crank up the air conditioning and call it a day. But if you're willing to plan ahead and get a little creative, there are alternative ways to shield your home from the summer sun that can have a huge impact. Using a few of these simple, sustainable techniques can help you reduce how much you use and rely on your energy-intensive air conditioner, which can save you money and is better for the earth.

Since A/C units have become a staple of life for most American families, many people have disregarded or forgotten old, low-tech techniques for dealing with the summer heat. But the old wisdom is just as relevant today, and using a few of these simple techniques can significantly cut down on your cooling costs.

Give Your Walls and Windows Some Shade

Shade is a powerful tool for keeping your house cool. Protecting the outside of your house from the direct sunlight is your first line of defense against the summer heat. Once the summer sun has turned your house into an oven, it's very difficult and energy-intensive to get all that hot air out; it's much easier to block the sun from getting to your house in the first place!

Here are some effective, time-tested ways to shade your home:

Utilize verandas and awnings: Most of the heat that gets into your home in the summer comes from the direct sun beating down on the outside of your house. Verandas and awnings around the edges of your roof block the direct light, protecting your house from baking in the sun all day. They are a very effective way to keep your home cooler in the summer.

Cover windows with blinds or shutters: Windows provide an easy way for direct sunlight to heat up the inside of your house. Using shutters outside and blinds inside will keep the sun from heating up the glass and shining directly inside. The great thing about shutters and blinds is that they give you more control; you can keep the sun out when you want to keep cool, and let it in when you need some warmth.

Plant shade trees: This is a tradition that goes back centuries for a reason; it really works! Planting trees in strategic spots around your home, particularly on the western side of your house, can shade your walls, windows, and roof from the heat of afternoon sun. It's not a quick fix, and requires some planning ahead, but it can be a very cheap and effective way to keep your house much cooler in the summer.

Control the Air Flow in Your Home

Everyone knows the value of “opening a window” to let in the fresh, cool breeze when it's baking hot inside. But did you know that you can take active control of the airflow in your house by strategically opening and closing certain windows?

There's an art to using your windows to strategically funnel hot air out while pulling cooler air in. The technique is most effective during shifts from hot to cooler weather and in the evenings, after it begins to cool outside. This cooling method relies on the concept of convection, which is simply that hot air rises and cool air falls. This means that as the inside of your house warms up, the hottest air floats upward and accumulates in the upper levels of the house and in the attic space. However, simply opening up the windows on the upper floor alone won't flush the hot air out; you have to create a path for air to flow into your house as well as out. Ideally you want to create an air current that sucks cool air (either cool evening air or air from cooler shaded areas outside) in through windows on the lower level, while windows on the upper level and in the attic suck the hot air up and out of the house. 

Air flow through windows in a house. Windows should create a path for air to flow in windows on one side of the house and exit through windows on the opposite side. Image from the Department of Energy.

Finding the right window configuration for your home might take some experimenting and tweaking, but once you find a system that works, it can make a huge difference in the temperature of your home. Every home is different, and deciding which windows to leave open or closed depends on your home's design and geographical location. Luckily, there are a lot of resources online and elsewhere to help you figure out how to control the airflow in your house.

Here is some information to help you fully utilize the air-current-controlling powers of your windows:

• This guide contains a wealth of information on using windows as a passive cooling method. Although it is written for Australians, it contains a lot of in-depth, useful information on how to create cooling air currents in any kind of home or climate. It even contains a guide to different types of windows and how to use them to create an ideal air flow.
• This guide from the Department of Energy gives a more general overview of the principles and techniques of using windows to create cooling air currents, as well as tips for using other passive cooling techniques.

Use Attic Fans to Your Advantage

 

Attic fans create extra suction to pull air up through the house and out the attic, and can help cool your house down in the evenings much more quickly and effectively than windows alone.

To learn more about how an attic fan can help keep your house cool, visit this link from the Department of Energy. And for more information about attic fans versus whole-house fans, including the uses and drawbacks of each, check out this article.

Eliminate Sources of Heat in Your Home

This one might seem like common sense, but many people overlook or underestimate the extra heat that electronics and appliances radiate into their house all summer. Taking simple steps like unplugging electronics and prioritizing meals and food that don't require cooking with heat can help you keep your house cooler and take some of the load off your air conditioner.

All Electronics Give off Heat

Everything that is plugged into your wall, even if it is powered off, still drains electricity from your outlet as long as it's plugged in. If that wasn't enough reason to shut off your power strips and unplug your appliances when you aren't using them, consider that everything that's plugged in to your house right now is also giving off heat. Some are worse than others; a computer left plugged in and idling on its own can increase the temperature of a room by a few degrees!

Even devices that don't give off that much heat are worth paying attention to. Many people leave dozens of small electronics and appliances plugged in 24 hours a day, and that can all add up to a lot of extra, totally unnecessary heat (not to mention a bigger electricity bill!).

(Not) Cooking for the Summer Heat

Using the oven, stove, toaster, or any heated appliance during the summer is guaranteed to heat up your house, so why not take the chance to learn some new oven-free recipes? Spare yourself the discomfort of sweating over the stove in the sweltering heat and instead prioritize cold meals that don't need to be cooked or heated whenever you can. Salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and fresh fruits and veggies are great places to start. If you do need to cook with heat, consider grilling your food outside or using the microwave.

Here are some no-cook recipes from the Food Network to get you started.

When the heat and humidity is at its peak, turning on the A/C can be necessary for comfort. But although it can be tempting to depend solely on your air conditioning unit to cool your home, these low-tech, low-cost cooling methods, when used correctly, can be just as effective at keeping you cool. Reducing how much you rely on your air conditioner can save you energy, save money, and let you take more control over the temperature and climate in your house.