With hot and humid temperatures in the forecast, Efficiency Vermont is sharing some tips to keep a home or apartment cool without air conditioning.

1. Open your windows at night. In Vermont, temperatures drop during the night. Take advantage of cooler summer evenings and open your windows to promote a cross-breeze. Bonus: This can also help you sleep better! The cooler air will circulate all night, allowing you to start fresh with a cool home in the morning. In building science, this is referred to as night-flush ventilation. Don’t forget to close the windows and blinds before things get too hot in the morning.
2. Close your window coverings. Summer sun delivers heat right through your windows. Block the heat with shades or blinds during the sunniest hours to keep your home cool without AC. This is a passive, or “natural” cooling method that is one of the cheapest and simplest way to keep your home cool in summer.
3. Insulate and air seal your home. Many of the things that help keep your home warmer in the winter also help keep your home cooler in the summer. If you feel the temperature extremes in both seasons, consider a weatherization project. A professional weatherization project can fix the areas that make the home too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.
4. Bake and wash at night. Large appliances give off significant amounts of heat. Wait to turn on your oven, range, dishwasher, and clothes washer until evening hours when temperatures are cooler. Also, consider hanging laundry outside to dry. You’ll save the cost of running the clothes dryer while reducing heat and moisture in the house.
5. Fire up the grill! If you can, take your cooking outside. If hot food is in order, fire up the grill instead of turning on the oven. Summer is not the time to roast chicken or make lasagna. Instead, plan for grilled dishes and salads to avoid generating more heat in the house.
6. Install an exterior window shade. Installing an awning, pergola, porch, or shade trees by your west windows will shield your home from hot afternoon rays. Direct sunlight is like a heater in the cooling season!
7. Use your fans in the right places. Fans keep air moving around, rather than cooling the air. Blow air directly on people to get a cooling effect or set up your fans to draw in cooler air from the outside (or a cooler part of the house) to the warm areas.
8. Use your exhaust fans. Exhaust fans in your kitchens and bathrooms capture hot air before it mingles with your house air and contributes to overheating. Operate your exhaust fans during showers or whenever cooking indoors.
9. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise. In the summer, the fan blades should rotate counterclockwise (as you look up at it) to push the air straight down. Increase the fan speed on the hottest days.

If you are looking to add air conditioning, Efficiency Vermont urges people to consider a whole home heat pump or an Energy Star-certified window AC unit. A heat pump can both heat and cool your home (it’s like an air conditioner that can also run in reverse), and is more efficient than window AC units. If a window AC unit is your preference, an Energy Star-certified unit can maximize your energy efficiency and keep costs low.

The organization has rebates offering up to $150 off a window AC unit that can help make air conditioning more affordable. And rebates for heat pumps (which both heat and cool a home) range from $375 to $2,200.

Efficiency Vermont is a state-regulated Energy Efficiency Utility that is operated by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, which is an independent, non-profit clean energy organization.