Inexpensive Ways to Cool a Two-Story House

Avoid the costs of air conditioning with creative cooling.

Most people don't enjoy hot and humid weather, particularly when the sticky air gets inside their homes and makes them uncomfortable. On the other hand, few people enjoy the high electricity bills that come with extensive use of air conditioning. Avoid both of these problems by employing clever and low-impact methods for keeping your home cool during hot weather.

Trees

Large, deciduous trees with thick leaves and overhanging canopies are effective at keeping both stories of a two story house cool. If you don't already have trees like this around your house, it's clearly a long-term proposition to plant them and wait for them to grow bigger than your house. Choose fast-growing trees and plant them right away. Don't plant trees so close to your house that their roots might interfere with your foundation. Smaller trees, shrubs and bushes around your house will help keep the lower floor cool by shading the walls from the hot sunshine.

Close Windows

Although it seems counter-intuitive to shut your windows tight in hot weather, it will help keep a house cooler. Particularly if the house has a lot of thermal mass in the form of a concrete slab or a huge stone or brick fireplace, you can cool the home at night by opening the windows and blowing cool air into the house with fans. This cool air will stay inside the house if you close the windows during the hottest part of the day. The discomfort of hot weather comes as much from humidity as from heat, and closed windows will help keep the inside of the house drier.

Awnings

Anything you can do to prevent direct sunshine from entering windows during hot weather will be effective at keeping the temperature down inside the house. Awnings over windows are the best way to do this. Install awnings only on windows that tend to be in direct sun. If you live in a climate that gets very cold winters as well as very hot summers, install retractable or removable awnings so they won't be in the way of sunshine during the winter when you want it.

Tactical Fan Use

Moving air feels cooler than still air, even when it is at the same temperature. Increase the comfort levels in your home through the use of ceiling and window fans that keep the air moving. Keeping ceiling fans on low during hot days with the windows closed will prevent the air from becoming too still. At night, with the windows open, a combination of ceiling fans and window fans will help exchange the stuffy interior air for fresh, cool nighttime air. With the windows open, place a fan in the stairway pointed upward. This will move the cooler air from the first to the second floor and force the warmer second-story air out the windows.

References

• Care2: 23 Tips for Keeping the House Cool: Annie B. Bond
• Freshome: Tricks to Keep Your House Cool This Summer