An overheated room makes everything more uncomfortable, whether you’re trying to work, sleep, or relax. While most people generally enjoy the summer months, being inside when it’s far too hot is one of its downsides. To solve this problem, many homeowners choose to install air conditioning. However, this solution is very expensive to run on an ongoing basis. You’ll find that your energy bills will spike significantly for the months you use air conditioning. If you’re wanting to keep costs down, you’ll want to explore other options. Here are five suggestions for how to cool down a room without AC.

Install Insulation

Insulation is most well known as a way to warm up a home when its cold. So how does it cool a room down? During the summer, the air is warmer outside the house rather than inside. Because insulation is essentially a heat barrier, it will stop the warmer air from passing through, therefore keeping it outside. Once insulation has been professionally installed, it is passively working 24/7 to cool the room down. Think about it as perpetual free air conditioning! If you’re not sure whether your current insulation needs to be topped up or replaced, contact Bay Energy Solutions for a free insulation assessment.

Keep The Curtains Closed

This is probably the simplest way to cool down a room without AC. Leaving the curtains closed during the day will give the sun less access, so the natural temperature will remain lower. It also may be worth replacing your standard curtains with blackout curtains. Blackout curtains are much more effective at blocking out the sun, especially if the room receives a lot of direct sunlight.

Fan Life Hacks

If you’ve got a fan handy, there are a couple of hacks you can try to cool down your room. The first is to fill a large bowl with ice, and set it right in front of your fan. Instead of blowing hot air around the room, you’ve now got your very own chilled breeze! An even easier trick is to simply face the fan directly out of a window. This will push the hot air outside and pull the cool air inside. Genius!

Use Your Extractor Fans

If the room you are trying to cool down is close to the kitchen or bathroom, you can actually use your extractor fans to help. Because hot air naturally rises, extractor fans in the ceiling are perfect for giving it that extra push. Simply close the doors to all other rooms and turn on your extractor fans to suck all that hot air right out.

Change Your Light Bulbs

All electronic equipment produces heat, including light bulbs. If you are needing to have the lights on for any extended period of time, it’s worth checking what kind of light bulbs you have. If they are standard bulbs, they will actually help to raise the overall temperature of the room. To prevent this, simply replace them with LED lights, as these stay cool. As a bonus, LED bulbs are also more energy-efficient, so it’s a win-win!