Ways to Keep Cool

Updated on: February 9, 2024
By: Greeniacs Team
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Air conditioners (ACs) are energy suckers. They use 16% of total home energy in the United States. In warm areas, AC units can account for up to 70% of electric bills during the summer months!¹ This summer, challenge yourself to keep cool while minimizing your AC usage ☺

BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Whereas AC units use up dirty fossil fuels and contribute to global warming, most of these tips don’t require any energy at all. Sure, a box or desk fan uses electricity, but it uses 90% less of it than an air conditioner.²

BENEFITS FOR YOUR HEALTH: Your AC unit may be holding onto micro-organisms that cause respiratory problems, and even worse they may circulate air-borne diseases such as Legionairre’s Disease.³ So staying away from the AC at home and especially at work may boost your health and keep you from getting sick!

Time and effort: Medium

Cost: Low

How to Keep Your Body Cool:

Wet a bandanna and place it around your neck. If your bandanna is drying out much too quickly, get a synthetic cooling towel that holds onto water for hours. Try a solar powered fan!
Wear loose, lightweight cotton, if possible make it organic cotton !
Eat small and frequent meals. Avoid big, protein-rich meals, which heat up the body by firing up the metabolism.
Consume foods and beverages that make you sweat, which is an effective way to lower your body temperature. Drink hot tea and eat spicy foods if you don’t mind sweating too much!
Drink plenty of water, because you won’t sweat if you’re dehydrated.
Take a cool shower instead of a hot one.
Remember that hot air rises, so if you have access to a basement (without too many cobwebs!), hang out there.
Leave home and take advantage of someone else’s air conditioner. Spend a hot afternoon at a library, mall, or coffee shop.
Before you hit the sack…
- Put your bed sheets in the freezer for an hour or two.
- Exchange your down for synthetic pillows and comforters.
- Wear a damp nightgown.
- Fill a reusable bottle with ice water and place it on your ankles or the back of your knees.

How to Cool Your Living Space:

On cool nights, open all windows and circulate air with a box fan. Then, in the morning, close and shade all windows to trap in the cool air. If shading with curtains, cover the space at the top of the curtain between the rod and the wall to prevent hot air from entering through the gap.
- To block sun more effectively, consider installing shutters or window awnings, or plant trees on the west side of the house.
- Trap cool air inside for longer by insulating your home .
Power down all electronics when not in use. Even the motor of a small fan generates heat, so turn it off when you leave the room.
Use fluorescent light bulbs instead of traditional incandescents which emit much more heat.
When it is hot outside, use appliances only when necessary. Run your laundry machine and dishwasher during the night and eco-friendly backyard cooking .
Close the fireplace flue during summer months.
If you live in a dry climate, hang wet sheets in front of open windows. According to Grist, “the dry hot air will cool down as it crosses the moisture barrier.”⁴
Upgrade your box fan to a natural air conditioner with some burlap and a few buckets of water. For instructions, check out this guide .

If you do turn on the AC, use it wisely and sparingly…

Clean your AC filters every month, which can improve the system’s efficiency by 5% to 15%.⁵
If you have an outdoor AC unit, make sure it’s shaded, level to the ground, and has at least a foot of air space on all sides.
According to Cary Weiner, the Clean Energy Specialist at Colorado State University Extension, “You can lose up to 30 percent of your cooled air in ductwork. So one of the most important pieces is sealing and insulating your ductwork inside the house.”⁶ So, make sure to seal and insulate your ductwork.
Set your AC no lower than 78 degrees.
Shut closets and unoccupied rooms and their cooling vents.
Use a ceiling fan and desk fan, even when the AC is on. The breeze from a fan can make you feel 4 degrees cooler,⁷ enabling you to set your thermostat at a higher termperature.
If you leave the house during the day, turn the AC off. Shutter and close all windows and doors. When you come home, open all your windows if it’s cooler outside than inside.
If you live in a dry climate, consider purchasing an evaporative cooler (also known as a “swamp cooler”), which cools air by sending it through a water-soaked pad. An evaporative cooler is 75% more efficient than conventional AC.⁸