Tuesday, June 2, 2009

"It's Gettin' Hot in Here..."

It might not officially be summer yet, but you wouldn't know it from the temps outside. Down here in Charleston, we've already had a couple 90 degree days, and it's only going to get worse. So to beat the heat, most people crank up the air-conditionering for the summer. But it is possible to cool down in a more eco-friendly way. The key is to get acclimated to the heat.

The problem with air-conditioning is that when it's 69 degrees inside your car, office or home, of course 80 is going to feel hot. But if you were used to 75 or 80, then even 90 might not even seem that unbearable. In order to survive summer au naturel, there are a few tips that'll help a lot.

1. Create some cross-ventilation. By opening some windows at opposite ends of a room, you allow a breeze to circulate through the room.

2. Use your ceiling fan.

3. Block the sun. During the day, pull the blinds to keep the sun from overheating the interior.

4. Leave windows open during the night when the temperature goes down.

Now, I'm not gonna lie. There are some days when the heat and humidity can feel insanely uncomfortable. My way of dealing with those days includes popsicles, standing in my open refrigerator and quick cold showers.