In an earlier article, Frugal Summer Cooling, I shared some of the techniques we use to reduce our cooling costs. Now, I’ll share even more tips for staying cool.
I’m old enough to remember back to the time when homes didn’t have air conditioners. Growing up in a brick apartment in New York City made for some pretty creative ways to stay cool in the summer. Most of these ways involved actually getting of the apartment to get cool. If you aren’t in your home, you don’t have to spend that time cooling it.
For example, as a kid, we used to play in the sprinkler attached to a fire hydrant. Today, I’ve adapted this for my own kids. They play in a sprinkler attached to a garden hose or in a small portable pool. They have a lot of fun and stay cool. Sometimes I join them myself!
Another way we stayed cool today (and the air conditioner stayed off for hours) was by going to the movies. Wait, lest you think that we spent a lot of money in an effort to get some free air conditioning, you should know that we took advantage of free summer movies at our local movie theater. It didn’t cost a thing to get in, and we were allowed to bring snacks from home.
If it isn’t a movie day and you want some free air conditioning, you could always take a walk around the mall, visit the library (there are some great summer programs out there), etc.
You might wonder if it will cost you more money to turn off your air conditioner while you are gone, since the temperature in your house may rise, causing the air conditioner to have to work harder to get the temperature back down. Generally, it always pays to turn that air conditioner off when you aren’t using it, if you will be away for at least an hour. The little extra energy it might take to lower the temperature again is still less energy than it would have cost to run it for the time you were away.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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