Not sure about where you are, but here in Southern California we are having a serious heat wave. Some of you would want to punch me in the face to hear me feeling faint in the 85-degree weather but the problem is that where I live we mostly have no A/C because we aren’t used to many days that require that.
On one hand, we’re forced into being energy efficient in the heat… the lights are all off during the day, we’ve got fans on, but we aren’t running the electricity bill up with an air conditioner.
But add that sticky feeling to cranky, over-tired, hot little ones (hot bedrooms make for short naps), a deadline to clean out and organize our garage (the garage is just…so…hot) and house to move, and a fridge that decided to break during the hottest week of the year, and you get a little glimpse into my home life.
We’ve been keeping our sanity with plenty of time in the community or grandparents’ pool and even a spontaneous run-through-the-sprinklers-with-dad episode.
Our gas and electric company does these Reduce Your Use days where we can earn discounts if use below a certain range of electricity, and in the last week, we’ve had two of these days. So being energy-conscious is on my mind as I think of ways to cool down the family.
So today, I’d love to hear from you… how do you cool off without the A/C? Smoothies and popsicles? Salads and not using the oven? Let’s get some community reaction to staying cool and energy-efficient at the same time.
About Nicole
Popsicles and swimming or cold showers help. Here in the desert, I use my roasting oven in my closed off laundry room all summer, rarely turning on my oven. Crock pots help too. We eat a lot of water-laden fruits and veggies – watermelon, cucumbers, etc. Just realizing it’s too hot to do anything helps. I don’t plan on doing projects -inside or out- in the summer. We do a lot of reading and swimming and games. When we can’t stand it anymore, we visit the library or take our time running errands so we can get some colder a/c since we keep the house at 80.
We’ve been trying to stay cool in N. Florida with lots of cold drinks: http://carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/08/13/surviving-summer-icy-raspberry-tea-recipe/
So ready for Fall!
I live in Texas, so cooling off without A/C isn’t really an option (seriously, I have no idea how/ why anyone lived here prior to the invention of air conditioning). I miss cool fresh-air and I’m sooo tired of artificial cold air.
However, I lived in Washington state my entire life until a year ago (this week!). Most folks don’t have A/C there because it’s not needed 50-1/2 weeks out of the year. During the small window of HOT weather, we would get up early to open doors and windows and let the cool night air in (even on HOT days, the temps drop back to the 60s at night). Then, we’d shut the house up once the sun was up, trapping the cooler air in the house. As a kid, we practically lived in the sprinkler/ kiddie-pool. We always ran fans, ate popsicles, avoided turning the oven on, and slept with sheets. As kids, my brother, sister and I would sleep on the floor with a sheet on the hottest days. I have friends who have set up a tent in their backyard for sleeping on hot days.
As a new Texan, I echo the comment above… So ready for Fall! (though I think even native Texans would agree with that at this point)
We have backyard shade, so we’ve been spending lots of time out there. If I let the kids play with the hose set to mist, they can spend a surprising amount of time spraying each other before the yard is too wet. And yes, we’ve been letting them run in the sprinklers quite a bit, too! Outdoor forts, making shade under a cotton sheet, are another favorite. Popsicles, watermelon, yogurt for dinner… and frequent trips to the air-conditioned library.
We moved to Texas 2 1/2 years ago, and the heat is incredible. We can’t do without the a/c when daytime temps are above 100 and nighttime temps don’t go below 80. But I usually won’t turn the a/c on until daytime temps are above 90. Open windows at night and use fans to get the cool air inside. Close windows in the morning before outdoor temps are higher than indoors. Keep blinds closed on the sun side of the house (East in a.m., West in p.m.) Insulating curtains also make a big difference. While it may not seem like much, I realized incandescent light bulbs give off a lot of heat and switched them out for daylight spectrum cfl’s. (And didn’t need the government to tell me so. I made the decision on my own.) When the shades are pulled, the house is dark.
We also embrace the heat…85 isn’t that hot. Not when you spend some time outside in 95 or 105 degree heat. Spend some time outside in the heat of the day and the inside feels cooler.
I don’t use the oven much, and when I do, I will do as much baking as I can. I do use the crock pot, and we eat more salads.
Misty spray bottles? Kids of all ages love them and they are ok for use in the house! Just restrict it to the kitchen and have the kids dry anything they get wet–you might end up with a cleaner kitchen as a bonus!
Wet washcloth on the back of your neck works wonders, for hours if necessary.
If you’re near a large body of water, or anywhere that offers a strong breeze, go there and sit under the shade of a tree–bring your lunch/dinner/board games for an all day picnic.
Sometimes, for hot day picnics, I would use ice pops (the natural version of the frozen juice in a plastic tube) as ice in the cooler. If the kids eat them-great. If not, they can be refrozen for the next time.