6 Ways to Cool Your House without AC

Want to keep your home cool without turning on the air conditioning this summer? There are plenty of alternatives that can lower both the cost of your utility bills and the temperature in your house. Here’s how you can cool your house without AC:

1. Run fans counter-clockwise.

During the spring and summer, your ceiling fan should be set to turn counterclockwise to push cool air down and pull hot air up. If your fan was set to turn clockwise during the winter — pulling cold air up and pushing hot air down — change the rotation now. This way, your room feels cooler. And you spend less on electricity to run the ceiling fan than you do to run your HVAC system.

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2. Invest in more fans.

If you need additional cooling in other rooms, invest in more ceiling fans. Whether you want to use standing fans or built-in ceiling units, you will spend less money to run them than you will to run your cooling system. Some newer fans come without loud, spinning blades, so your room stays cool and quiet. You may need to hire an electrician to help install ceiling fans if you don’t have pre-installed wiring.

3. Utilize your window treatments.

Window treatments — shutters and blinds, in particular — are great at blocking out the sun and keeping your room cool on a hot summer day. Use blinds and any fabric treatments during the day when you “close off” a room: bedroom, living room, den, etc. This could save almost 10 percent on your utility bills and cut down the temperature in a room by 10 to 20 degrees.

4. Upgrade your lighting.

Fluorescent and incandescent lights are hot enough to increase the internal temperature of a room. And they can put off a loud buzzing noise too. So upgrade — and become more energy-efficient — with their CFL and LED alternatives. These will give off less heat and decrease your monthly utility bill. How is that not a great investment?

5. Get rid of hot air.

When you’re doing something indoors that creates hot air — cooking, working out, etc. — it can raise the indoor temperature of a room by a few degrees. To prevent that from becoming an issue, ventilate the air immediately — whether it’s with a fan, windows or a hood over your kitchen stove. Also, install or replace your attic fan for $340 to $750 as necessary to prevent hot air from seeping in through the roof.

6. Let in cool air at night.

At night, if the temperature is relatively cool — 60 or below — you can open windows and let in cool air to decrease the temperature in your home. Make use of cross-ventilation and open windows on either end of your home, so the breeze cuts all the way through. You can also use fans to help better ventilate the cold air throughout the house.

Andrea Davis works for HomeAdvisor, which helps homeowners find the right home improvement professionals and now makes the process simple from start to finish for everyone using Mhelpdesk. Homeowners can use HomeAdvisor Reviews to see what past customers have to say about each professional, and can calculate average local and national costs for a variety of home projects using Cost Guides. Access to all information and features is free for homeowners.

Note: This is a guest post; the views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Redfin.