Keep the blinds closed
Fend off the summer sun’s rays by closing you window blinds. Close the blinds, or curtains on the windows that face the direction of the sun. This simple and easy action would keep the temperatures down a few degrees without having to spend anything.
Apply Heat Reducing Film
On top of closing off blinds on sun-facing windows, you can also apply heat reducing films to your windows. This would reflect heat from the sun’s rays away from your home, which will keep the insides of your house cooler. As an added bonus, heat reducing films also work to retain heat within the house in cooler months.
Let you house breathe..at night
Capitalize on the colder night air. Keep your windows open and let the cool evening air circulate around your house. Doing this would give you more comfortable Zs and a fresher start of the day.
Close doors
After letting your rooms cool down in the evening breeze last night, you’d want to keep them that way. Close the door to the rooms you won’t be using the rest of the day to keep heat from entering them.
Eat out or take out
Using the oven, stove, or microwave would generate heat inside the house. Not good. So, if you want to keep a cooler interior, eat out. If you prefer cooking to dining in restaurants or ordering fast foods, try having a barbecue outside instead.
Be your fan’s fan
If you have a ceiling fan installed, a neat hack would be to reverse the fan’s rotating direction. Reverse the fan’s direction in a way that it would blow the air straight down. If you have a stand fan, you can imitate a cool sea breeze by placing a bowl of ice in front of it.
The inner light
If you have not done this yet: instead of using incandescent bulbs, you might want to switch to less heat generating, LED lights or fluorescent lamps instead. This would take the temperature and the electric bill a few digits down.
Igor, pull… the plug
Appliances that are plugged in generate heat, even when not in use. Unplug the appliances you don’t use to help keep temperatures down
Keep yourself cool with cool clothes
Stay away from dark colored clothing and opt for lighter colored clothes. Dark colors absorb a lot more heat than lighter ones. Opt for clothes with breathable material like cotton, linen, or denim.
Think long term
If you want to have a cooler house, give gardening a shot. Planting greens around your house will eventually reward you with some shade from the sun and a cooler, fresher ambiance.
