SPOKANE, Wash. — With the Inland Northwest set to see the hottest day of the year, many people without air conditioning are struggling to keep their homes cool. KREM 2 looked into what, if anything you can do to pre-col your house and keep it that way.
The most important thing to remember is to open up your windows overnight to let the cooler air in with a fan near the window pulling the air in. Also overnight, put fans facing out on the side of your house that is warmer, usually the side the receives the afternoon sun. The idea is to blow out whatever hot air remains inside the home. You can also put fans facing inside on the side of the home that is cooler to circulate the cooler air around.
As soon as the temperatures begin heating up, close the windows AND the blinds! If you have blackout curtains, close those too. This is especially important for the windows that receive the afternoon sun. There is also heat-reducing film you can put on your windows to keep additional heat from entering the home. It also works to keep things warmer during the winter.
It is also important to close any rooms you are not planning on using.
Another way to keep things cooler inside is to avoid using the oven. That can heat your house up much quicker. If you have an outside BBQ, it is much better to use that. In fact, most indoor appliances create heat. For instance, if you are doing laundry, let your clothes air dry and instead of using your dishwasher, do the dishes by hand.
If you don’t already have LED lights in your home, now might be a good time to replace your old incandescent bulbs as they put off a large amount of heat.
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