How To Make The House Cool And Comfortable Without Banking Much On Air Conditioner?

When it comes to cooling the house, most of us are stuck at one idea-an air conditioner. Yes, there is no denying of the fact that these modern gadgets of comfort have brought a change in the paradigm of lifestyle. You do not worry your head about the unbearable heat and humidity in the peak summer months. However, you should know that there are many alternatives that provide cooling with less energy use. These alternative methods of making the house cool and comfortable mainly relies on a combination of proper insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, day lighting, shading, and ventilation. Although they look ineffective against scorching summers, they can really keep the house cool in the hottest climates. Here are some cooling tips to keep your house comfortable in summers-

• Always set the programmable thermostat as high possible in summers. When you are sleeping or are away from home raise the set point.
• Filters are one of the most important parts of an air conditioner. Blocked filters can severely compromise your level of comfort as they will reduce air flow. Therefore change them at regular intervals.Some filters are washable.
• Always turn off the exhaust fans that are fitted in the kitchen and bathrooms as soon as you finish with those areas of the house.Always bu ya high-efficiency, low-noise models of exhaust fans in case you are about to replace the present one.

• During summer, keep the window coverings closed during the day to block the sun's heat.
• Use dehumidifying pipes in the air conditioner to remove excess moisture from room air.
• Change the bed sheets on the bed often. It freshens up the room. Use cotton sheets as they breathe easier and stay cooler. Buy some buckwheat pillows as they have natural air gaps inside them. They will not hold on to the heat in your body as conventional pillow does.Drop incandescent dim lights and switch to CFL.

Use natural ventilation

You should have an opening in the windward or leeward walls of the house. When wind blows across the house it always hits windward wall creating a positive pressure there. When it moves around the building it leaves the leeward wall with a negative pressure. This is also called the sucking effect. If you have a window on the windward wall then fresh air will get into the house through it and exit from the leeward side.

Another kind of natural ventilation is called buoyancy ventilation. This is also called stack ventilation and work on the principle of temperature difference. The warm air of the room rises above and goes out through the flue. The cooler air is sucked from the openings below.

Use ceiling fans

Always have your rooms equipped with ceiling fans. Only ensure that your fan runs anti-clockwise in summer. It will force cool wind down into the room. It can decrease the room temperature up to four degrees.

Evaporation cooling

This is one of the oldest and cost effective ways of cooling the house. Usually solar energy is used to operate these swamp coolers.The solar heat is picked up in the air handlers which are indirectly tied to the refrigerant through several heat exchanges. This heat is used to raise the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant. It almost vaporizes it. Cool water is circulated through a heat exchange where refrigerant vapor is condensed and heat is transferred to the water. The warm return water from the heat exchange is sprayed over the “fill”. The fill provides the surface area to enhance the heat transfer between the water and air, causing a portion of the water to evaporate. That cool water then loops back to the beginning of the process, to absorb more heat from the heat exchange

Radiant cooling

These work through network of pipes that are fitted in the floor or in the clings. Cold water is circulated through them in summer. The cold pipes absorb the heat radiated from the rooms. They are very effective in arid climates.