Thank You!

By the end of the day it does start to get stuffy and when it does that is kind of your cue to check to see if the air outside is now cooler than inside and if it is open the windows and repeat the above.

One other thing that helps immensely is a dehumidifier when doing the above. The only downfall is that the dehumidifier at a point throws a lot of heat, upside it is dry heat so you are more comfortable (less to no sweating depending on each individual) and can at least move without being totally soaked.

If you do the window cooling at night and then turn on the dehumidifier when you know it is going to be wretched humid and hot (said to cost pennies a day to run, I have yet to get my first bill running mine, so will see) to take the humidity out of the air and then run your AC it is supposed to take less money to run the AC as the dehumidifier takes the humidity out of the air which your AC would have to do then it cools. The water that fips from you AC is the dehumidifier part working.

That is what I have read as to the AC having to run harder and longer due to the humidity in the air and by running the dehumidifier you are supposed to be able to lower the temp of you AC which in turn, also, helps to lower the bills. If you get a dehumidifier with a timer/setting for how long to run based on the level of acceptable humidity you want in your living space then you can make it more efficient that way also while it runs or in additon to running the AC.

Everyone’s situation is different, so it is worth a try in my opinion if it saves money and gives comfort, especially if you are definitley going to run your AC anyway. Maybe someone you know has a dehumidifier that you could borrow or find one at a yard sale/fle market for cheap. I got mine at a discount store and ended up paying $139.00 after tax. A good deal as it is digital read-out, self times when set to, shows the humidity you start with and what it takes out.

It is advisable to do a search to learn what is the best one for your area. They have different sizes and some do different things based on manufacturer and type. The other advantage to a dehumidifier is that it is not good for any home to have over 50% humidity, or good for your health I am told. It is healthier to have drier air if you have asthma and my pulmonologist told me that running the air conditioner is good for cleaning the air of pollutants as well as making you more comfortable.

Sorry these are not just short snippets, needs more room to explain than a snippet. Just some suggestions and ideas that may be of help in making you feel a bit better during what seems like our sun/earth getting hotter and hotter each year! Good Luck with staying cool in summer and warm in winter!

These can work to your advantage also by planting flowers and plants that are drought tolerant. You can locate these by doing a search online, going to the library and your local bookstore. You may find it to be really nice to look at and to me, plants just seem to give off a coolness and they help absorb some of the heat that rocks put off.

Succulents – cactus types are very good and low to no maintenance to have that multiply if you buy the right ones. You can figure this out by going to your local plant store or nursery and see what they have. Usually they have what is able to grow in your area (otherwise their business would not last very long if all they sold to anyone died due to not being right for their part of the country, hence, the reason for zones listings when you buy).

Another good source for learning about different types of plants is to sign up for some of the plant and or seed catalogs and read; full of good info for learning. You get familiar with plants for each zone, how tall they grow, how tolerant, fast and or slow they grow. You get to see what they look like in full bloom for their color, size and shape and most of all if it pleases yur eye. Tall(er) plants are usually reserved for the backdrop or as the center highlight to an arrangement in a front and center stage – look at me focal point (great for distracting from and area or element that is not so appealing and needs attention drawn away from it) flower bed or side landscape that makes excellent flowering fences for privacy on the warmer days.

Plants, tree’s, shrub’s and flowers all help to lower the temperature around your home and can therefore also help to lower cooling bills and tree’s block wind when cold to help with heating bills (be sure they are deciduous – leaves fall off in fall and renew each spring so you do not lose winter sun heat).

Pay attention to where and how you plant and you can create you own little eco-climate right in your own yard that can differ degree’s in temperature than your neighbor right next door!

You do have to put in the time and effort of planting (can be done a little at a time to see how it goes) with more watering at the start till they take off and this is best done in the fall so that they get a good chance to set up roots and not have to fight the sun/heat/growth all at the same time. If there is room between the rocks (not knowing if you live where there is ledge, bolders or small rocks interspersed) this can be very pretty and add much to visual appeal of your yard.

I have seen many with rocks in the front border of the yard and the flowers of all kinds made it a beautiful landscape!

These are just some that work well most anywhere:

Flowers and Succulents

Mariglolds helps bug control
Mum’s
Cosmos
Tulips
Cone flowers
Daisies
Lillies – Asiatic’s and more)
Daylillies
Hosta
Stella D’Oro holds well over the summer
Daffodils
Kansas Gayfeather common name
Liriope pretty green with white edged blades
Chicks and hens grow most anywhere

I can’t exactly how much I have save, but I pay about $70 month for electricity and a friend in a comparable size house who runs his AC night and day pays over $200.

Some of the things you can do cost little or no money – opening windows, using shades, running ceiling fans, changing filters, having clean and unobstructed vents, using appliances at night and turning them off when unused, sealing cracks in doors (sealant costs about $5).

Programmable thermostats cost around $40 and can pay for themselves within one or two years.

The best part is that even if you only use some of these tips, you should save money. And I hope you do!

It does a great job of cooling our bedroom and attached office on hot days, uses less electricity than a central system, and it saved us the cost of a central system and the interest we would have lost by having a bigger mortgage.