We've been under a heat alert this week with temperatures hitting 100. This mean many news outlets are telling us the best way to keep our homes cool. It has gotten so hot the past couple of days by late afternoon the air conditioning is really not up to the best cooling task. It's ok, but not refreshing like more moderate days.
This article gives a lot of advice on this score, some good, some perplexing. I'll just itemize them here and the entire explanation is at the link.
- Ceiling Fans
- Window Fans
- Evaporative Coolers (Swamp Coolers)
- Air Conditioners
- Closing up the House to Keep the Cool Air in
- Radiant Barriers
- Shade Trees and Awnings
Okay, I can go along with most of these but I have no idea what an evaporative cooler is and don't plan on getting one. We realized rather quickly this week how much having ceiling fans help. By turning them on in reverse (having low air pulled up) we found almost immediate difference in the comfort level. We have a ceiling fan in the family room and one in our bedroom. Last night the reverse fan in the bedroom made such a difference and by the time I woke up this morning I was actually chilly. I don't know how much good this does without air conditioning, but better than nothing.
We are thankful we had whole house shades installed when we moved back to Collinsville. Pulling them down over sunny windows helps as well.
It's summer after all better than 5 above 0.
The good news is tomato plants and peppers love this hot weather and are really going to town.