It happens to the best of us. You decided to stay in over the weekend due to the extremely hot weather, only for your air conditioner to conk out just when you need it the most. So how do you cope with no air conditioning?
No Air Conditioning? Keep Your Cool with These Tips
While it is never fun to be without AC in the middle of a heat wave on a hot and humid St. Louis summer day, here are some of the things you can do to keep cool even if it is just while waiting for the St. Louis HVAC company you hired to come over:
- Keep your blinds closed: Did you know that up to 30% of unwanted heat comes through your windows? Keep your blinds closed on every window of the home to prevent the sun’s rays from streaming in. This may seem counterintuitive at first, but using shades and curtains to keep out the glaring light and UV rays should significantly change the temperature inside the home while there is no air conditioning.
- Give yourself a free pass: Got lots of chores to do? Tend to your chores when it is cooler, preferably in the evening. Doing the laundry and cleaning the house right in the middle of a hot day with no air conditioning is unbearable.
- Do not cook indoors: With no air conditioning, avoid cooking meals inside as this will only make things hotter inside the house. Since it is summer, now is the perfect time to fire up the grill outside and have a barbecue.
- Come up with a hack: There are a number of “do-it-yourself hacks” that you can use to keep cool. For example, a life-saver when there is no air conditioning can be to fill a mixing bowl with ice and set it in front of a running fan. This way, the air blown off the fan will be extra chilly.
- Change light bulbs: In order to function, traditional incandescent light bulbs give off a lot of heat. Ditch them for CFL or LED bulbs, which are more energy-efficient.
- Use fans: Make sure to change the direction of your ceiling fan’s airflow to force the hot air down and make you feel cooler when there is no air conditioning. Set the fan to turn counter-clockwise during the summer, and clockwise during winter.
- Keep yourself cool: Dress yourself in light, loose-fitting clothing. This will make you feel comfortable even if it is hot and humid outside.
- Turn off appliances: Turn off any appliances that you are not using, especially those that generate heat such as ovens, washers, and dryers. You can always hang your clothes out to dry, or use the sink instead of the dishwasher when washing dishes. Also, unplug unused appliances from the outlet because most of them generate heat even in standby mode.
- Crack a window open at night: Allowing the cool night breeze to come in helps to cool off your room when there’s no air conditioning and helps you to sleep better.
No Air Conditioning? Get Professional Help from Our St. Louis HVAC Experts!
If you find yourself with no air conditioning in the middle of a hot summer day, call us immediately! Galmiche & Sons has been in the heating and cooling business in St. Louis since 1950. You can depend for high-quality air conditioning repair services to get your AC back up and running in top shape no matter what time or day. Give us a call at 314-993-1110 for your heating & air conditioning needs.
