There's no denying this summer is going to be a scorcher.
Easy fixes like joining your local pool or cranking up the AC can cost an arm and a leg, but it can be very difficult to stay cool when you're on such a tight budget.
During the day 30 per cent of heat comes in from your windows. While it only helps you save up to 7 per cent on your bills, investing in curtains and shades can help keep your home up to 20 degrees cooler than those who don't utilize them.
Before you leave for work in the morning, make sure to close off rooms you don't use. This keeps the cool air in the rooms you want them in and out of the rooms you won't be using.
Instead of turning on the air conditioner, fill a bowl with ice or an ice pack and put it in front of a large fan. The fan blowing on the ice creates a breeze with an added chill and according to
huffingtonpost, it can give the illusion of sitting by the ocean with that cool sea breeze on your face.
There's no surprise when we say, switch out your winter flannel sheets for your cotton sheets. Winter sheets like flannel and fleece are great at keeping your bed insulated, the exact opposite of what you are looking for on those warm summer nights. Having a cool pillow goes hand-in-hand with having a cool bed. If you're not looking to invest in a chillow, a buckwheat pillow will do wonders. Buckwheat doesn't hold body heat like your typical pillows. The air spaces that occur naturally in buckwheat hulls, allow for a cooler nights sleep.
Did you know your fans need to be adjusted seasonally? adjust it to spin counter-clockwise at a higher speed in the summer months to create a "windchill breeze effect that will make you and your guests 'feel' cooler."
It's VERY easy to focus on being hot when it's 32 degrees Celsius outside, the trick here is to cool yourself from the inside out. Apply cold rags to "strong-pulsed areas" such as your neck and writs, drink ice cold drinks and wear light weight clothing.
Lighting is a big part of keeping your house cool. Compact fluorescent lamps emit less energy than Incandescent bulbs, which waste approximately 90 percent of their energy in the heat.
If you absolutely must cook inside, putting an exhaust fan on can help suck out any excess heat the oven is creating in your home, however grill outside as much as you possibly can in the summer.