This article is all about keeping things cool without central air! Ok kids, I am going to let you in on a little secret…we do NOT have central air. Most folks where we live are shocked by this. You see even up north quite a few people have air conditioning in their homes. We, however, do not.
I know what you are thinking…what? No central air? At our age? I have been told, for some reason…when you age you get hot? Who knew?
Disclaimer: This info is based on my experience in Northern Pennsylvania, if you live in the southern states this may not be an option for you. However, I have added some new tips to help a little with your electric bill.
Even though we live up north the summers still get hot, really hot. And humid…extremely humid. However, if you have ever been in our home during those really hot and humid days, it feels like we have central air. I have actually had people argue with us over whether or not we have central air.
I know, crazy right?
So, what’s my secret? Redneck air conditioning my friends!
Here’s how I do it…….
My main supplies are 2 box fans and my secret is timing.
Yes, it’s all in the timing.
Before I go to bed each night, I open all the windows in the house. Every single one.
I put one box fan in a window in the main living area and the other in a window in our bedroom. We use those fans to “suck” the cooler evening air from outside into our home. I let these fans run all night long. When I get up the next morning I leave things as they are and start watching the temperature.
As soon as it starts to climb even one degree, I shut everything up.
All of the windows and even the doors to the bedrooms.
My goal is to keep as much of the cooler air in our home as I possibly can.
I then take my box fans and move them to the main living area. I strategically place those fans in a way to keep the cooler air circulating into my heavy traffic rooms.
Believe it or not, just this one trick will keep my house at its early morning temperature throughout the entire day.
Now, if it’s really hot I have a couple of extra tricks.
Most homes up north have basements. This can come in pretty handy in the summer.
The air in our basement is wonderfully cool and luckily dry. On our furnace, we have a fan that will blow air from our basement throughout the entire house. By turning this fan on I am able to add some cooler air and have it circulate throughout the house.
But what if it’s really REALLY hot??
Then there are those days in August….what I like to call our Atlanta Georgia hot days.
Those are the days I need to bring in reinforcements. A small window AC unit that my brother gave us about 10 years ago. We usually don’t touch it until August when it gets so hot and so humid my fan trick just doesn’t cut it.
We put the window unit in our son’s room since it is closest to our main living area. I can run that unit and use my box fans again to pull that cool air down the hall.
I put one at the end of the hallway and the other at his door to help move that cool air around the turn.
It is pretty amazing how much cold air I can suck with those two fans right out into our family room and kitchen area.
I only use the window AC unit if it is really hot, I’m talking upper 90’s hot. The trick isn’t the AC, it’s getting the house cooled off during the evening hours and bringing in as much cool air as you can.
Trust me this really works!
It is not unusual to find my house a good 10 degrees cooler or even more from the outside temperature, even with the air conditioning off.
If you live in a hot southern area, I realize that this may not be an option. You can, however, use a few of my tips to alleviate how often you use your central air. Even if you adjust your thermostat 5-10 degrees you will save money each month on your bill.
No, it’s not a lot, but remember all those small savings can add up to a nice chunk of change.
How to keep your home cool in the hot heat of summer without central air conditioning.
Tip #1 Use fans to pull cool air in at night
Get those windows open and cool things down before the sun comes up and brings with it the hot heat of summer. To make sure I remember I go one step further and set the alarm on my phone. This handy little reminder is set to go off at 10 am. That is about the time when the heat begins to hit us here.
Please know your time will be different depending on where you live.
Tip #2 Use fans to suck the hot air OUT
You can also put your fans in the window to push the hot air out of the house.
Once the air starts to heat up, turn your window fan around so it is blowing out rather than in. This will move the warmer air outside where it belongs. This little trick works surprisingly well, especially on those really hot days.
Tip #3 Close off vents in rooms you do not use frequently
This works best if you use a central fan system located on your furnace (see above). There is no use keeping a room cool all day long that you only sleep in at night. Shut the vent during the day to push more of the cooler air to the main living areas.
If you use central air conditioning it is recommended that you NOT close vents in unused rooms that this can cause damage to your system. Please contact your manufacturer for suggestions.
Tip #3 Close the curtains and keep out the sun
I know this may not be a popular option for some, but blocking out some of the sweltering sun on your really hot days can go a long way to cooling off your home. You can even go one step further and use energy efficient curtains that will block even more of the summer heat like these surprisingly attractive heat blocking curtains. I was pleasantly surprised at how well these curtains worked!
Ninja tip: You really only need these curtains in rooms where the heat is bothering you. If your bedroom receives most of the hot afternoon sun but you are not in your bedroom until night time then there really is no reason to invest in these curtains for that room. However, if that same hot afternoon heat is in the family room you might want to get a pair for that room instead.
Tip #4 Close bedroom, bathroom, and office doors
This will also help push more of your cooler air into your main living space. The office, a spare bedroom, even your master bedroom. If the room is not used during the day, close it down and keep that cool air you are making where you need it.
The trick is to get the cool air where you need it.
Tip #5 Save the baking for a cooler day
Nothing can heat a house up quicker than turning on that oven. Keep it off and save it for a cool rainy day. On those days double up your baking efforts and freeze the extras. Now on those hot days when the kids really are begging for home-baked cookies, you have a nice little stash in the freezer!
Tip #6 Who says crockpots are only for the winter?
It just amazes me how many folks refuse to break those crock pots out in the summer. You would be amazed at all the awesome meals you can make in a crockpot! No more slaving over a hot stove, use your crockpot and keep you and your kitchen cooler.
You can find some of my favorite crockpot recipes on my Pinterest page.
And the best part is crockpots are so inexpensive now. I have three myself and use them constantly. This crockpot is a great buy and would work perfectly in any kitchen. It is smaller so if you have a large family you will want a 6 quart instead.
Ninja tip: No money to spare? I get it! You would be amazed at how many crockpots you can find at yard sales for a dollar. A dollar people!!
I know these are small efforts in the big picture, but sometimes doing the small things are enough to make a big change.
It is all in your thinking kids, working smarter not harder not only applies to us but to every aspect of our lives.
Do you have some keep cool tips? I would love to hear them! Leave a comment below so we can all learn to keep cool without burning cash!
Hi there, my name is Tracy and I am a city girl gone country. I am a redneck frugal living goat owner and I am working everyday towards living a more simple life. Now I am teaching others how to do the same. From growing their own food, making their own cleaning supplies, cutting back, and paring down. It’s all about making more of what we need so we spend less, save oodles of money and live better!
Where do you live that you can leave your windows open all night? We can never leave are windows open for fear of someone breaking in ….also, it doesn’t cool down enough at night to cool our home….we live in Phoenix. We have no choice but to have AC. Wish we could open windows and air out the house once in a while but it makes it too hot inside.
Oh, Myrna, that is scary! We live in a rural area and we feel pretty safe here. We also have a dog that is great at warning of sounds and protecting our family from attack frogs and robins. I feel safe knowing he will do the same if a larger intruder would try to do harm. 🙂 We do things in the winters to help deter heating costs, you may be able to do the same for your AC. Close of vents to rooms you do not use often. Shut shades or curtains during the day to keep the hot sun out. I hope things cool down for you soon!
We live in East Texas and we have lived without central heat and air for approximately ten years. We sleep with the windows open and box fans in the other end of the house facing outside in order to pull the cool evening air throughout the house by opening our bedroom window. When the heat index is over 100 we do have a small window unit in the bedroom window and we use it to cool the bedroom down. We use infrared electric heaters for zone heating in the winter. These measures cut our electric bill in half (total electric home). We have downsized and built a smaller home for our retirement and do not intend to install central heat and air. We have an attic fan that we can circulate air with by opening the windows. And for the really unbearable days we have a window unit rated to for 1500 sq ft. Our new home is 1000 sq ft. But the best thing we did was have spray foam insulation installed. Our new home stays cool for almost all day. This summer has been extremely hot and due to health problems we have used the a\c for less than two hours a day in the extreme heat. We also located our new home facing south with huge shade trees on the west side of the house where the blazing heat comes from. We have yet to experience a winter season in the new home. I think that we are going to be very comfortable if this morning’s crisp fall temperature is any example of what we can expect. After going out to feed the animals and coming back in it was toasty warm without and heat source other than having the windows closed.
Sounds good but not sure if it would work here in Texas in July our hot is much hotter than yours. But I’m sure in the cooler months it would help. We have done the fan thing in the windows when our ac was out.
Yes, Jenifer, I should have put a disclaimer on my post stating where I live! I can imagine the heat in Texas and how central air is a must there. You can try shutting off rooms you do not use and shutting curtains to keep the sun out. This will hopefully help at least with your bill. Stay cool!
Your suggestions might work in some places, but it definitely WILL NOT work in south Louisiana! Down here we could tell you to turn off central heating in the northern states and try to stay warm in January and Feb–makes about as much sense as doing without AC in the hot summer in the south!
Hi Anne,
Yes, I do realize that this may not work out for everyone, I was just hoping to help a few northerners that may want to cut some corners cost wise. I cannot imagine living in such a hot area such as South Louisiana! I have family in Florida that must have AC during the hottest months of the summer. And yes, we do have our problems come winter, but don’t worry I have tips for us cold weather folks as well. Stay cool Anne! 🙂
We did the same thing growing up in Ohio before most people had central air conditioning. In fact my parents lived in the house we grew up in for almost 30 years before they put air conditioning in it. It does help that when the temp starts climbing, turn the fans around in the windows to suck out the warmer air and keep one on the floor. And we had box fans for every room. It moves the air throughout the house quite efficiently. Staying vigilant on keeping the fans clean is very helpful as well. Dusty and furry fans are not efficient.
Hi Lynda!
I knew about turning the fan around but for some reason never tried it. I will do a test with the fans and see how it helps with our indoor temps. I can’t wait to see the results! We are in a cold snap right now, but our next hot day I will try this and do an update on my post. Yes, I agree keeping those fans clean is important and easy to do. It’s the little things that all add up to big results. 🙂 Thanks for the great tips!!
I do almost the same thing here in Kansas. I have something I used last winter I love for keeping me warm. I can’t remember the name brand but it is bubble wrap with foil on both sides. I put on tension rods in the windows especially my bedroom window on the north west side. My bedroom was toasty warm and my bill was lower. I bought in a roll at Menards.
Hi Linda,
That’s a great tip for keeping the cold out. We also take steps to keep the house warm using as little propane heat as possible. I will be doing a post in a few weeks on how to keep your house warm in the cold winter months, which will be here before we know it!
Exactly what I am doing in Inland Spain. It does work well. Don’t have a airco, and use the ventilators as discribed. Last summer it got to 41 degrees Celsius, and had to shut the shutters too, in order to keep the house cool. Inside it was not bad at all.
I am so glad to hear that you do it as well, even in Spain 🙂
This is exactly the method I use every summer. It’s amazing.
Closing off vents in unused rooms is not recommended. The air conditioner will produce the same amount of air, and by closing off vents the pressure throughout the system increases, which can lead to leaks and blower damage.
Thank you Susan for pointing this out to me. I have done some research and you are correct. I have adjusted my post to reflect the new information. Thank you for the heads up!
Tracy Lynn
I have used all of these for years as well we planted large deciduous trees on east and south sides of our home. Many people are surprised when I tell them air is not on when they experience temperature in our house that is ten degrees cooler than outside. Room darkening drapes are big help no matter what part of country you live in. Bringing cool air up from basement has worked as well on really hot days. I live in PA.
Hi, Holly,
I just love your idea of planting shade trees, so brilliant and so simple to do!
Thanks for stopping by,
Tracy Lynn
My grandmother, on very hot days (110 or so) would put a block of ice in front of her fan. She also soaked her sheets in water and hung them till they were almost dry. My mom remembers sleeping in damp sheets as a child, though I’ve always wondered if this is really advisable. I appreciate your tips here. We live in a hot, humid climate and rely on our AC too much, so I love the idea of helping my AC out by using box fans!
Hi, Kristen,
I have seen the ice and fan trick, although I have never given it a try. The damp sheets is a new one! It just amazes me what our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did. What an ingenious bunch they were!
Thank you for stopping by!
Tracy Lynn
I found this article insanely helpful thank you! This will be my first summer as an adult living without central air. I am currently living in a duplex ( the house is over 100 years old and we live on the top floor) in Maryland. Although our unit has 2 small window air units, one in the living room and the other in the mater bedroom, they aren’t really practical for keeping the entire apartment cool and they run constantly making our electric bill higher than I would like. I now have things to try out to keep my apartment a cooler the temperature has climbed to about 90 in the past few days… Hello summer !
I do have a question that just popped into my mind. Most of our windows crank and swing outward instead of pulling upwards like more traditional windows. Will the box fans still work effectively if they can’t sit directly in the window?
Hi, Felicia,
We too have a few of those crank windows and you need to be a bit creative to get the fans as close to the window as you can. Yes it still does work to bring the cooler air in, maybe not as effectively as regular windows, but enough that it quickens cool down.
Tracy Lynn
How fun for you Felicia! I also lived in a very old home our first years away, and it really was hot! Evenings were the worst. I am so glad you have a couple of units so you can sleep a bit easier. Box fans are the most efficient fans for moving air and highly recommend them. Placing them at the doorway of the room with the A/C will help to push that air to the rest of the home.
Good Luck!
Tracy Lynn
I live in a one bedroom apartment in Sacramento, California. Our summers are easily over 100 (it’s been 108 for days already) and at night it does not cool off below 85-90 degrees. My apartment is located towards the sun and it’s on the second floor. It has been over 90 inside my apartment everyday even with all these tricks. I coated my windows in aluminum foil to reflect the sun, I use my window AC all day from 8:30 am. It’s really difficult and my dog isn’t happy about it either! My apartment manager won’t install a new AC unit, so I am just looking for tips and tricks to try to stay cool. I’ve been taking a cold shower at night, having a fan blowing on me, and using the ice bowl trick.
Oh, Jade, that is just awful!!
I am sorry my tips are working but I am afraid in that intense heat your only option is AC. Is there a way to get a free standing AC unit? I have never used one but I have heard good things.
Please be safe my friend!
Tracy Lynn
Hi, I be been doing these tricks for years. Although it’s like living in a cave with curtains drawn. And yes, it’s all in the timing when to open and when to close the windows,
. I also have ceiling fans on 24/7. We live in R.I. where we do get days that are in the 90’s.
Stay cool.
Linda
Yes, I agree Linda…it can be a little dark with the curtains shut! Today it is 88 outside and 76 in my house. So nice!
Tracy Lynn