Staying Cool Without A/C

Summer in Alberta can bring sweltering heat and high humidity, leaving you sweaty and in need of relief in your home without air conditioning.

Just because you don't have A/C doesn't mean you need to live in fear of the heat, here are some tips to help keep cool without air conditioning. 
 

Using Fans

From your ceiling fan, to your stand up tower fan, using them in the correct way will help keep the temperature cooler throughout your home. With a ceiling fan, you need to make sure you have the fan set to spin the correct way. You want to have your fan spinning counter-clockwise to push the air straight down, as opposed to pulling it up and circulating it. Another great trick you can do for a stand up fan is to place a bowl of ice in front of the fan, as it will pull the cold air off of the ice and circulate it around your room.

Closing the Blinds/Installing Cooling Curtains

Keeping your blinds closed during the peak sunshine hours of the day may feel like you're creating a more dreary and dark living space, but the reduced heat is definitely worth the trade off. Keeping your blinds shut will block out the peak sunshine and help cut down on the heat that gets trapped inside your home. Furthermore, there are special cooling curtains you can purchase and install yourself that are specifically designed to cut down on the light and UV rays entering your home. They typically feature multiple layers that trap the heat between the curtain and the window, preventing it from ever entering your home. 

Cook Outside

Summer and barbequing are synonymous with one another, but firing up the grill can also help you drastically cut the radiant heat in your home. You aren't limited to just hamburgers and hotdogs, there are a lot of different recipes for cooking outside on your barbeque. Keeping your oven off during the early evening when the sun is still beating down will help reduce the internal temperature of your home. 
 

Bake and Do Laundry At Night

Keeping your oven and your washer and dryer off during the day will cut the heat in your home. Doing your laundry and baking at night will also help cut your power bill, as you would be consuming the energy outside of peak hours (typically 4pm-8pm). So, while you're keeping yourself cool, you'll also be keeping your power bill manageable throughout the summer months.