What do you do when it is hot outside? Crank up the air conditioning and eat popsicles? That sounds nice but expensive. Over the years I have found some great ways to keep the electric bills down while still managing to stay comfortable in the heat. Some of the things you may have already heard:
--Run heat-generating appliances (like the dishwasher or oven) early in the morning or late at night.
--Use the oven less (opt for things like salads or cold sandwiches or light up the grill outside).
--Turn down the a/c. I have taken this one to the extreme (we liked to keep ours set to about 87 or 90 degrees except when I was pregnant, then it was at about 85).
--Use fans, but only where you are because fans don't actually cool the air, they just circulate the air so it feels cooler.
Now, here are some that I have come up with on my own:
--Close the windows and shades. I know, this seems counterintuitive but it really works. On really hot days I liked to open the windows in the early morning (about 6-8 AM) then close them. The air in the house stays much cooler than it is outside. Yesterday it was about 95 degrees outside but when my husband got home he said it felt about 20 degrees cooler inside. One warning, you may start to feel like a mole in the dark, which leads to my next point,
--Get out. Go to places that you know will be air conditioned and spend time there instead of at home. Some places we like to go are the library, children's museum, and the mall. Some places have indoor play places that are air conditioned as well. You could also just go play in the water in the back yard or at the pool. Just think of all of the places that are air conditioned even if you weren't there (the grocery store never looked so inviting).
--Cold baths are nice.
--Popsicles are delicious, and you can make your own pretty easily. We also like to freeze berries and just eat them straight out of the freezer.
Now, you may be thinking that because I live in Portland I don't know what hot is but let me tell you, I lived in Nebraska for 25 years. It is hot and humid in Nebraska. You can't walk outside without feeling like everything is sticking to you. When we lived in Nebraska, we used the air conditioning about one week a year.
