Thursday, July 8, 2010

Eight Ways to Stay Cool Without an Air Conditioner


Although at Meaco (U.K.) Limited we sell air conditioners we realize that for the sake of the planet we should be looking for other ways to keep cool as well whether to make our air conditioning more efficient or to stay without any air conditioning at all. Below are eight ideas to keep you cool without an air conditioner;

1. Turn things off
If you not using an electrical appliance or a light then turn it off. All electrical appliances give off heat, whether it is a television, computer or a phone charger. They all give off heat. When you are not using them - turn them off.

2. Close your curtains
Most heat comes through windows from the sun, keep curtains and blinds closed to prevent the sun from superheating your room.

3. Don't open your windows
Seems strange but while it is hotter outside than in don't open your windows. If you do then you will be letting in hot air and warming up the house. Open windows when the sun has gone down to ventilate the house and let in the cooler night air. When the air is cooler on the outside than it is on the inside, having windows open on both sides of a house will create a through breeze and cool the house down quicker. Keep the internal doors open to help the draught. Point fans to the outside through an open window on the down wind side of the house to push out the hot air.

4. Be Green-fingered
If your house has a south facing garden and is heating up then plant some climbing plants on a trellis to shade the house. Ivy will stay green in the winter but you might want to benefit from the low sun in the winter so Virginia Creeper might be better because it dies off in the winter.

5. Insulate Your Pipes
Make sure that all of your hot water pipes are insulated.

6. Go Australian!
Avoid turning on the oven. Eat lots of salads and cook outside.

7. Move your fridge
Fridges give off a lot of heat. Move it out from the wall so that air can circulate around the back of it to make it's cooling more efficient.

8. Insulate your house
Good insulation keeps your cool in summer as well as warm in winter. More tips can be found at the Meaco website via this link - http://www.meaco.com/practical.htm.

Chris Michael started working in environmental monitoring in the 1980's specializing in museums and historic houses. During the 1990's Chris was often to be found teaching conservators how to get the best from their environmental monitoring equipment. Today Chris specializes in domestic air treatment. He can be contacted viahttp://www.meaco.com 

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