Many of us in the Bay Area are dealing with this right now. Really hot weather is rare enough here that installing AC is probably not a good financial option – heck, installing AC is NEVER a good financial option. If you think heating your house is expensive, cooling is by definition a much more energy intensive operation. In our mild climate, it’s possible to make some changes to your home such that you won’t find a need for air conditioning and all the CO2 generating, energy consuming waste that goes along with it.

But given that it’s 10PM and still 80 degrees outside as I write this, you are probably more interested in what you can do right now to make your house more comfortable. So try these out:

Watch the weather: It all starts with knowing when the heat will arrive, so keep an eye out for those forecast hot days – it will make a big difference when you are prepared.

Manage the heat inside the home: On the morning of a hot day, open windows to permit the cool breeze to blow thru the house, but the moment the temperature outside matches the temp inside (hopefully BEFORE it passes and climbs up the scale) you should close all the windows. Every one. Close all blinds (if you have them) in such a way to reflect the sun’s energy back outside. Close all curtains. It may be counter-intuitive, but it’s better to run a few lights if that’s necessary rather than run an air conditioner. AC units consume much more energy than a few lights (especially if those lights are compact fluorescents!) Since the human body is not a good temperature sensor, I recommend a simple wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer. Setup the unit inside the house and the wireless sensor outside – but place it in a spot that is open to the air but never receives any direct sunlight. This is the really tricky part – and it may take some experimentation to get the placement in a good spot. Minimize any door openings – leaving a door open for even 2 minutes allows a large amount of hot outside air to enter your home. In the evening – wait until the temp outside matches the indoor temp – then open every window you can. Observe the natural way wind travels thru the home and setup fans in the windows to assist that same breeze. Don’t try to fight nature, you will lose and only slow the cooling process. Take a short cool shower right before bed – it will help you cool down so that you can sleep.

Whole House Fan: This is a must have for those of us without AC (or those that wish to avoid using the AC). It cools your house in two ways: First, a whole house fan should be placed in the ceiling of the top floor of your house. Often it will most easily be inserted where the attic access hatch is located. It should be configured to force air up into the attic.
#1: This fan will take air from the living space and send it into the attic. This will create a small vacuum inside the house and will greatly facilitate the entrance into the house of cool outside air through your open windows.
#2: By forcing this air into the attic, you are also moving the hot air from inside the attic out thru the various attic vents. By cooling the attic, you reduce the amount of heat that will radiate down onto you later in the evening.

Sun blocking shades: For those windows on the South and West sides of the house, look into installing some type of shades that will reflect most of the suns rays back outside. Make sure that you close these shades as soon as the sun hits the window on those hot days.

Attic ventilation: Attics get really hot. Often as much as 20 or 30 degrees hotter than the outside air. This heat builds up during a hot day and it takes a long time to get rid of this heat. Installing adequate ventilation will greatly reduce the amount of heat that gets into the living space.

Deciduous trees and bushes: Here’s a simple one: Where possible, plant deciduous shrubs and/or trees on the South-West side of the house. During the winter, they won’t have any leaves, so the sun will shine thru to warm the house. In the summer, the leaves will shade your house during the most critical time of the day. The shade of a single tree provides a surprising amount of cooling. Use nature’s own AC!

Insulation: I can’t stress this one enough – Insulation is the best way to reduce your energy bills and keep your house comfortable. You should have at least R-38 in your attic, and walls and floors should have the max that their space permits. Blown cellulose, recycled denim, soy-based spray foam, poly styrene, polyisocyanurate, fiberglass; any insulation is better than none, and each has their best application.

Please call us at your convenience and we can discuss how to help you reach your goals! 415-515-2405