Sharing How To Stay Cool Without A/C in Florida
At Stellar Services, we are all about helping the community of Gainesville stay cool and comfortable all year round, but we know that during the sweltering Florida summers, this mission can become a little bit more of a challenge. Temperatures are constantly rising higher than most of us find agreeable, but in order to keep monthly energy bills manageable, we are hesitant to continue to crank up the A/C. Therefore, since learning alternative ways to cool off and stay refreshed without depending on the air conditioner alone can be healthy for your home, your family, and your finances, Stellar Services is here to share some helpful tips for beating the heat without overworking your A/C.
How to Stay Cool Without A/C
Tips for the Present:
- Don breezy attire: Break out the gauzy shorts and sleeveless shirts because light, loose-fitting clothing is the best apparel to wear to cool down.
- Drink more water and less caffeine and alcohol: Alcohol and coffee dehydrate your body and fail to leave you feeling refreshed, while water provides the essential hydration you need. Fill up on the no-frills fluid of water to feel cool.
- Eat smaller, colder, or spicier meals: What you eat and how much you eat affects your energy levels and your body’s innate cooling abilities. Smaller meals of healthy chilled snacks like salads and frozen fruit will preserve energy and prevent hunger, while meals consisting of spicy foods will cause the instinctive sweat that naturally cools your body.
- Target your pulse points: Your neck, forehead, and wrists are areas on your body where you can feel your heartbeat, and because the blood vessels in these spots are close to the skin, they will cool down quickly if you cover them with a cold cloth or ice cubes.
- Take full advantage of the freezer: Put the freezer to good use by freezing fruit for an invigorating snack, herb-infused ice cubes for a crisp drink, or a towel, a washcloth, or your sheets to get something super cold against your skin.
- Maximize your use of fans: Set the ceiling fans to run counterclockwise and pull hot air up and away. Place a bowl of ice in front of a fan to create a pleasantly cold breeze, or spritz yourself with water while sitting in front of a fan to shed the heat from your skin.
- Modify your home: To let your feet feel the cool of hardwood or tile floors, roll up your rugs and go barefoot. Close your windows to during the baking days and open them during the nippy nights. Turn off the lights when possible to stop incandescent bulbs from producing unnecessary heat.
- Bring in a dehumidifier: Humidity makes the space feel hotter, so remove the overbearing moisture in the air with a dehumidifier in order to give your air conditioner a hand.
- Keep the oven off: The oven and stovetop can greatly contribute to toasty temperatures within the home. To save energy and spare your house the excess heat, make meals without cooking by serving cold cuts and other picnic-type foods whenever possible.
- Leave your laundry for later: Your washer and dryer add heat to the home just like the oven does, so using them later in the day is better for the comfort levels of your home. Other appliances and electrical devices also emit heat even when they are not in use, so unplug them until they are needed.
- Sleep the day away: Animals have the right idea when they take midday naps. Take a short sleep when you are really feeling hot, and do so in front of a fan to make a particularly cooling moment.
- Spend time in public: Indoor public areas such as the mall, the movie theater, or large department stores treat visitors to tons of free A/C during the hot summer months. Entertain yourself and cool off by shopping or seeing a movie.
- Go swimming: Whether you choose to get wet in the lake, the ocean, the pool, or the shower, immersing yourself in cold water will lower your core temperature and also keep you cool as the water evaporates off your skin.
Tips for the future:
- Dress your windows in light colors: Sun coming through the windows during the day can really heat up your home, but covering them with the proper curtains can correct this occurrence. Darker hues and heavier curtains are no help to your cooling efforts, so style your windows with the light, sheer, or gauzy curtains that will still let a little light through without overheating your home.
- Insulate your home: In order to keep the cold air in and the hot air out, install insulation in your attic and use a caulk gun to seal off areas where air might be escaping. A draft dodger handles the leaks at the bottoms of doors and windows.
- Plant a strategically-placed tree: This is definitely an investment in the more distant future, but if you have the chance, planting a tree shades your house from direct sun on the east and west sides, and it can also cool off high-heat areas around your property, such as the air conditioning unit that emits heat and the driveway that absorbs it.
- Add an awning: Just like trees, an awning also extends the shade to your home and helps block the heat that would otherwise increase your energy bills.
How to Stay Cool With A/C
As we all know, the most effective way to temper the heat and keep your home cool in the sunny regions of Gainesville and North Central Florida is to own an energy-efficient air conditioning system. Stellar Services has the experience and expertise to supply your home with the perfect cooling unit for you, and we can also service your machine to make sure that it is always giving you the cold air you need. To learn more about receiving A/C installation or maintenance from Stellar Services, contact us today!
