How to stay cool and save money

comments from our community

• 
  Posted by Bruce K Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:25am PDT

  From Greenterrafirma.com, here are a few more ideas: http://www.greenterrafirma.com/keeping-cool-without-air-conditioning.html Here are a number of easy suggestions you can follow, to keep cool without an air conditioner. Several don't need electricity as well. Wet your wrists and other pulse points with cold water. Use a piece of ice wrapped in a face cloth, to continue after the coolness wears off. Constantly cooling off the wrists will also cool off the body. Never use just ice; make sure it is wrapped in a towel or something similar. Studies show that this will reduce your core body temperature by as much as 3 °F (1.5 ºC). The relief is almost immediate, and will last for up to one hour! Drink lots of cold drinks. Water is the best but cool liquids of any type will help to cool you down. The electrolytes help to make sure you don’t lose vital minerals through sweating. Adding ice will also help cool you off. Avoid lemonade, iced tea, and other sugary drinks. Ice does not actually help you cool off if it is in water you will drink. Cool water does, but the colder the water the more energy your body spends making it body temperature so that it can use it. Keep still and quiet. This is not a good time for exercising, sports or running around. Keep these activities for the evening when the air becomes cooler and the sun goes down. Place wet towel on the back of your neck and also the top of one’s head. Athletic team doctors have used this for years! Use perspiration to cool the body down. If you don't follow number 3, then water vapor produced by sweating actually takes heat away from your body if it is exposed to air and allowed to evaporate. The best thing to do is to put your sweaty self in the path of a cool breeze or fan. Try a few minty products to cool your skin: slather on lotion with peppermint (avoid your face and eyes); shower with peppermint soap; use a minty foot soak. Mint refreshes the skin and leaves a nice cooling sensation. Stay in the shade. Read a good book, sit still or take a nap. Open the windows to let in a breeze. Use screens to keep out insects if they are a problem. Go swimming. If you can, select a shady body of water. Have a cold shower or bath. Even a small amount of water sprayed or splashed on you can help. Or try a face washer dipped in cold water and held against your face and forehead for instant cooling relief. Wet towels if you need to cool all of your body and wrap your legs, torso and arms with them. More.... http://www.greenterrafirma.com/keeping-cool-without-air-conditioning.html

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by AUnBoy Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:40am PDT

  Ceiling fans should be run clockwise in the summer to direct the air down, NOT counter-clockwise!

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by gegg59 Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:14am PDT

  I just checked my fans and it is counter clock-wise

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Earlene Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:13pm PDT

  holy moley i need 2 change my fan

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by MICHAELC Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:15am PDT

  Remember to turn the fan off when you leave the room. A ceiling fan helps circulate the air to make you comfortable while in the room, it does not cool the room down, so save energy and your electric bill and turn the fan off when leaving the room.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by me Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:32pm PDT

  I just had draperies custom made with an innerlining and thermol lining. I went for the extras at a very nominal fee. They not only look nice, but are energy efficient. I just got the pleated draw drapes. To the floor. Nice girl to work with elizabethofessex.com I am ready to compare last years electric bill with the new one. Hope tthis can help someone. Oh and the fan idea thanks!

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Air Conditioners Tue Jun 16, 2009 1:32pm PDT

  Don't forget about portable air conditioners. I'm actually surprised they're not mentioned in this article, especially since its a green article and portable ACs are known to be far more energy efficient and more cost effective than standard central systems. Other than that, good article. Source: http://www.air-conditioner-home.com/portable-ac-library/

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by grevis1 Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:28pm PDT

  Okay, I really would like to know for sure, which way should the ceiling fan be running in the summer!?!

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by sweepergn Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:02pm PDT

  The method of which way that a ceiling fan should rotate is and oldie but goodie. Most fans have the blades positioned so that if running in the 'counter-clockwise' direction they will be pushing air down directly beneath the fan, whereas in the 'clockwise' direction it will actually be pushing air up towards the ceiling forcing air out towards the walls and then back down. The train of thought is that cooler air is heavier than warm air thus if you lay on the floor the air is much cooler than if you climb on a chair and put your face near the ceiling. So what we want to do is get the proper air in the needed area the most effectively. In order to do this we must rethink. Yes, it is great to sit directly under a fan on a hot day. But is is only doing one thing. Cooling you and pushing hot air down. What we really want to do is to pull cool air up and around. This takes place when the fan blades are moving 'counter clockwise'. In the winter we want to push that wonderful warm air down, thus pushing the cool air out to the sides of the room and back up the wall to get reheated near the ceiling. But like I said sitting under a fast fan in the summer after a couple hours of mowing while it is turning 'counter clockwise' feels great and also makes use of the evaporation effect. But it's not great for trying to effectively and gently push that air around to cool the whole room down.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Bonnie Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:25pm PDT

  My question is: should all vents in each room be opened the same amount with all doors to bedrooms, etc. open? Rather than closing off bedrooms or rooms not in use and shutting the vents? Which is the best energy saving and to keep the whole house evenly cooled? Thanks

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Gram Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:48am PDT

  We bought 3 box fans and placed one in the hall, one in the dining room, and one in the living room. Then we turned our thermostat up to 84. We didn't even notice the difference in the temp with the fans running and we cut our electric bill by $85 a MONTH last summer

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by rotnrotsmom Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:04pm PDT

  It is "pull" in the summer and "push" in the winter,,or so I have been told. Most folks do it the other way tho

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by vampkatt 65 Sun Jul 5, 2009 9:03pm PDT

  One method that has worked wonderfully for us is the window fan unit that can be turned to draw hot air out of the house during the warm part of the day, then switched to intake cooler air at night and early morning. These are easy to install (they just fit into the window), are not very expensive, and are easy to find at most department stores. We bought one for our bedroom several years ago, and it makes a huge difference!

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Charles Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:27pm PDT

  Do it the way they did it back in the day and save money and the earth.Find a tree and a good book.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Goddess Melanisia Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:50pm PDT

  the deeper you go, the more stable the temp. So actually you need to go sit in your basement or cellar with a glass of icewater and a good book.

  Report Abuse