6 Ways To Stay Cool This Summer Without Increasing Your Carbon Footprint
Breaking news: summer is hot.
According to The Weather Company (and, honestly, who would know better?), all of the lower 48 states are expected to experience hotter than average temperatures this summer. And that’s saying something because last summer was stupid hot.
In fact, June 2019 was the hottest June on record, and July was the hottest month in human history. This warming trend has been observed for the past 120 years–since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution–and is widely attributed to man-made climate change.
What it all boils down to is this: it’s going to be boiling hot this summer and all of us will be looking for sweet, sweet relief. Instead of cranking the AC and adding even more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, cool off with these cool tips instead.
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Upgrade your bedding
Whether you have hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) or you just overheat at night, sleeping in the summer can be a nightmare. The solution is as simple as replacing your stuffy cotton sheets. Cotton sheets are tightly woven causing them to trap moisture which is why you wake up in an Olympic swimming pool of sweat every morning.
Instead, try using an alternative fabric like Sheets & Giggles Eucalyptus Lyocell sheets. S&G’s Eucalyptus sheets are cooler, softer, and wick sweat much more effectively than cotton. You’ll sleep more comfortably and wake up feeling totally refreshed. As an added bonus, S&G’s Eucalyptus sheets are sustainably-made and environmentally friendly.
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Upgrade your bed
While you’re at it, you should consider sleeping on a different mattress. Memory foam mattresses are notorious for absorbing and retaining all of your body heat while you sleep. To remedy this, buy a non-foam topper or swap out your memory foam mattress for one that breathes a little better, like a traditional box spring or a fancy hybrid model.
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Try evaporative coolers
Air conditioners are making the world hotter. They run on fossil fuels and the steady carbon emissions emanating from them will cause a nearly 1-degree rise in global temperature by 2100.
If you live in a low humidity area, you should consider replacing your AC with an evaporative cooler, alluringly dubbed a “swamp cooler.” This natural and energy-efficient means of cooling your home cools the outdoor air by passing it over water-saturated pads. As the water evaporates, the cooler air is pushed into the home, while warmer air is pushed out the windows.
Compared to a traditional AC unit, evaporative coolers are cheaper to install, cheaper to run and require no toxic chemicals, like hydrofluorocarbons or ammonia. While they don’t cool the home as dramatically as an AC, the environmental and cost-saving benefits are definitely worth a look.
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Install a whole house fan
A whole house fan is another popular energy-efficient cooling option. A whole house fan pulls air in from open windows and exhausts it through the attic and roof. Typically, you use whole house fans when the temperature outside is cooler than the temperature inside (i.e., in the morning or at night). The fan can cool your house in an hour for a fraction of the cost and energy as a central AC.
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Air Seal Your Home
Air Sealing, or eliminating all the holes in your house, is a cost-effective way to cut cooling costs and reduce your energy consumption (air sealing is important for the winter months, too, but this is a blog post about summer). Try caulking and weather-stripping your windows and doors so that when you do run the AC it’s cooling your house faster and more efficiently.
And don’t forget about insulation. Properly insulating your walls, floors, and attic can further increase your home’s overall energy efficiency.
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Energy Advisor
You might also consider hiring an energy advisor. An energy advisor is someone who comes into your home with high-tech equipment like an infrared sensor and a blower door to assess your home and give you advice on how to make it more energy-efficient and comfortable.
We know this summer is going to be hot because the sun is a big ol’ ball of hydrogen that burns at 10,000°F. And also because man-made climate change is warming the planet at an unprecedented pace. This is the new normal, folks. So we need to start coming up with solutions that don’t make the problem worse, like cranking the AC 24 hours a day or sleeping with the freezer doors open at night.
Scientists are still years away from developing more efficient central air conditioning technology (i.e. ACs that don’t use greenhouse gas-emitting hydrofluorocarbons), so in the meantime, we can use these greener solutions to keep cool this summer.
What are your favorite eco-friendly ways to keep cool? Share in the comments below!