We’re in the dog days of summer, and many homeowners in New England are wondering how to stay cool without air conditioning. There’s no denying that air conditioning is a luxury, but the good news is that there are green energy saving methods to keep your home cooler and ventilated with your windows—despite the 80 and 90-degree temperatures.
Are Your Windows Facing West? Keep Your Blinds Closed
If you’re living in a coastal home, the combination of heat and humidity can make it feel as if you’re living in a greenhouse. West-facing windows are particularly prone to allowing unwanted heat into the home, since the sun will hit your house on the west side during the hottest parts of the day.
The key in this case is to keep west-facing blinds closed. This act alone can help you save 7% on your utility bills, making for one of the green energy saving techniques to keep more money in your wallet.
Rotate Your Ceiling Fans to Spin Counter Clockwise
One of the lesser-known secrets for cooling a home without air conditioning lies in your ceiling fans. According to Energy Star, rotating your ceiling fans in a counter clockwise direction creates a wind-chill effect—which can help make you feel cooler. This can also help increase airflow and circulation in your home. If you live on the coast, this technique will also enable you to enjoy an extra sea breeze during the day. Furthermore, turning on exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom can help pull heat out of a room by filtering it outside.
Maximize Air Flow with Cross Ventilation
While you don’t want to allow hot air into your home during the day, cross ventilation is one of the keys to keeping your home cool without air conditioning. Cross ventilation is accomplished by regulating airflow through the home, and it requires using strategically placed windows, doors, and fans.
Cross ventilation is a green energy saving technique that can make your home feel comfortable and breezy even during the hottest summer days. The first step is to locate an inlet window, which is a window that is most capable of catching gusts of wind. You’ll also need to locate an outlet window, which is used to filter hot air back outside.
Next, place a fan in front of your inlet window that faces into your home. A second fan should then be placed in your outlet window that faces outside. The idea is that warm air in your home will filter back through the fan in your outlet window, which pushes it back outside. Be sure to keep interior doors open so the air is able to flow through your home.
Make Your Windows Work for You This Summer
Whether you’re living with or without A/C this summer, energy efficient replacement windows can help keep your home more comfortable and maximize airflow. Poorly designed windows don’t have built-in air locks, weather- stripping, and barriers necessary to keep air from forcing its way in. Without these design features air will push between the sash meeting rails and around the sash perimeter.
Another feature to look for when looking for an efficient window, is to check out the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) rating. This is a measurement of how well a product blocks heat caused by sunlight. The lower the number the better which means less solar heat is transmitted through a window. Low- E glazing is a feature that you should look for in a window to keep this SHGC number low.
Lastly, you want to have an efficient glass package to keep the cool air in and the hot air out by creating an insulating factor with argon/krypton gasses which can help keep your home more comfortable as well.
Contact us today to learn more about green energy saving tips for keeping your home cool without air conditioning and features you would look for in energy efficient windows.
