How to stay cool without reaching for the Air Conditioning remote

We Australians are pretty to used to hot summers, and for many of us, our ‘winters’ are also hot, still hitting high 20s!

It’s very easy to reach for the AC remote as soon as the mercury rises, but there are plenty of more-energy efficient things you can do to cool yourself without turning on the air conditioning.

Blocking out light may seem a little odd, but it’s been proven that by drawing the curtains and blinds, you can reduce heat gains by 33% on average, according to American department of energy. Although this may not completely help to keep your home cool in the midday sun, it can help to keep homes cool in the mornings and delay your reliance on AC.

If you’re lucky enough to have ceiling fans in your home, did you know that they have two modes? In winter-mode, the fans turn clockwise, which keeps heat circulating around the room, whereas the anti-clockwise summer-mode pulls up the heat towards the ceiling helping you stay cool. So now’s the time to grab that step-stool and check the switch.

No, we didn’t make a mistake, you can actually use the humble hot water bottle to stay cool in summer! By simply filling up your hot water bottles with cold water (we recommend adding some ice cubes too) instead of hot, you can stay cold with a steady stream of frosty air. You can also wrap it in a towel if it’s a little too cold for your tastes.

Your oven will very quickly heat up your home, so cold meals such as sandwiches and salads make a great choice for extremely hot days, helping you stay cool and fed! Stuck for ideas for recipes? Here are 21 great options.

The sunshine-laden Australian summers are here to stay, so it’s in your best interest to also look for longer-term solutions, one thing to look at could be your home’s insulation.

A fully insulated home compared to a non-insulated home can reduce the cost of heating and cooling a home by around 40 to 50%! Don’t know if your home sufficiently insulated? Follow these easy checks.

Older iridescent bulbs gave out as much heat as they did light. Most homes have moved over to LED energy-efficient bulb, which not only save you money they also emit far less heat, helping you stay cool. We think that’s a win-win.

If you’re lucky enough to have access to a pool, keeping the body’s temperature down is really easy by taking a dip! If you aren’t one of the lucky ones – a cold shower or bath does just as well at keeping your core temperature on the lower side.

If AC is a must and you’re happy to pay for the privilege, there are a few things you can do to keep your bill a little smaller:

1. Set your AC no cooler than 24°c. Anything below that uses a lot more electricity.
2. Close any doors to keep the square meterage you’re cooling to a minimum.
3. Look at installing solar or home battery storage to offset the cost – even when the sun is down.