On a hot summer day my favorite alternative cooling device is sitting outside enjoying a tall glass of ice tea. It’s portable, easy to operate and provides instant on-demand refreshment.

Alternatively you can install solar panels, or a wind turbine to generate the electricity it takes to run an air conditioner. The only other true whole house alternative cooling method is to use a geothermal ground source pump. Though the cost of this type of system can be recouped fairly quickly, in as little as two years on a new house installation, the initial capital cost outlay is more than most homeowners can afford.

It could cost some where around $20,000. Now let’s say you spend $20,000 on your house and you have a choice between a new kitchen and a geothermal heat pump; which do you think most people are going to have done. Not many of your neighbors are showing off their new heat pump are they?

So let’s consider some less expensive options to keep cool this summer:

Fans are a great choice:
Ceiling, paddle, and portable fans produce air motion which increases evaporative cooling when it moves across your skin. Even moderate breeze of two to three km. an hour can extend your comfort range by several degrees.

Whole House Fans:
A whole house fan is a simple and inexpensive method of cooling a house. A large fan or several set in your ceiling draws cool outdoor air inside through open windows and exhausts hot indoor air through the attic to the outside. Running a whole house fan whenever outdoor temperatures are lower than indoor temperatures will cool a house. These devices can reduce your air conditioning costs by 50% or more. An AirScape whole house fan may be your best home-energy savings investment.

Use White Roofing:
Shingling your house with white shingle reflects the sun and heat. An attic space under white shingles can be 20degrees cooler than one under black shingle and a cooler attic means a cooler or easier cooled house. Elastomeric roof coatings are great for flat roofs as they reflect 90% of the sun’s rays and will reduce the indoor temperature by 7 degrees according to the independent research laboratory MER Corporation. These coatings are only for flat roofs and have a moderate cost of around .50 cents per square foot to apply.

Radiant Barriers especially effective in the south:
These shiny, reflective barriers keep excess heat out of your attic in the summer or help keep your floors warm in the winter. Stapled under the rafters or joists, it reflects 97 of the radiant heat that strikes it. The non-profit Florida Solar Energy Center has shown that an attic radiant barrier can reduce air conditioning costs by at least 20%.

How to save and still use an air-conditioner:
-Clean the filter once a month.
-Turn off your A/C when you leave for more than an hour. It saves money.
-Draw the shades while you’re at work.
-Close off unused rooms or, if you have central A/C, close the registers in those rooms and shut the doors.
-Set your A/C thermostat at 78°F or higher if you have ceiling fans. For each degree you raise the thermostat, you’ll save 3%-5% on cooling costs.

Don’t forget Weatherization:
You know it, right? The only people who haven’t learned the value of caulking, weather stripping and insulating yet are living in caves or tents.

Make wise choices and make changes that make sense and that you can afford. Before you know it you will be saving money and helping our planet.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

14 Responses to “Alternative Cooling”