How to Cool a Room In Albuquerque Without AC

When the hot summer Albuquerque sunlight comes into your home, the only thing it will do is warm up your home. And this can end up costing a lot in AC energy costs. If you keep out the sun, you can reduce those costs. And if you don’t have AC, then you can make your home more bearable to live in during the summer.

Her’s a few tips that will help.

Close the drapes: Line them with light-colored fabric that reflects the sun, and close them during the hottest part of the day. Let them pillow onto the floor to block air movement.

Add awnings: Install them on south- and west-facing windows to reduce solar heat gain by up to 77%, says the U.S. Department of Energy. Make your own by tacking up sheets outside your windows and draping the ends over a railing or lawn chair.

Install shutters: Interior and exterior shutters not only reduce heat gain and loss, but they also add security and protect against bad weather. Interior shutters with adjustable slats let you control how much sun you let in.

Apply high-reflectivity window film: Install energy-saving window films on east- and west-facing windows, which will keep you cool in summer, but let in warming sun in the winter. Mirror-like films are more effective than colored transparent films.

Open Those Windows

Be sure to open windows when the outside temperature is lower than the inside. Cool air helps lower the temps of everything – walls, floors, furniture – that will absorb heat as temps rise, helping inside air say cooler longer.

To create cross-ventilation, open windows on opposite sides of the house. Good ventilation helps reduce VOCs and prevents mold.

Turn Up Fans

Portable fans: At night, place fans in open windows to move cool air. In the day, put fans where you feel their cooling breezes (moving air evaporates perspiration and lowers your body temperature). To get extra cool, place glasses or bowls of ice water in front of fans, which will chill the moving air.

Ceiling fans: For maximum cooling effect, make sure ceiling fans spin in the direction that pushes air down, rather than sucks it up. Be sure to turn off fans when you’re not in the room, because fan motors give off heat, too.

Whole house fans: A whole-house fan ($1,000 to $1,600, including install) exhausts hot inside air out through roof vents. Make sure your windows are open when you run a whole-house fan.

Power Down Appliances

You’ll save money and reduce heat output by turning off appliances you’re not using, particularly your computer and television. Powering down multiple appliances is easier if you connect them to the same power strip.

Don’t use heat and steam-generating appliances – ranges, ovens, washers, dryers – during the hottest part of the day. In fact, take advantage of the heat by drying clothes outside on a line.

Plant Trees

Deciduous trees, native to Albuquerque, leaf out in spring and drop leaves in fall, are best because they provide shade in summer, then let in sun when temperatures drop in autumn. Honey Locust grow very well all across New Mexico. Honey Locust are fast growing and depending on variety, can grow 20′ to 45′ high. These gorgeous shade trees leaf out with yellow leaves turning to a deep green in summer. They will offer filtered shade allowing growth of lawn or other plants beneath the canopy and do not have invasive roots.

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