How to keep your house cool this summerWE’RE likely to fry in 30 degrees-plus days as summer belatedly starts to get sultry and fiery. Remember how it hit a high of 37.3 degrees Celsius in May 2010? Beat the heat at home with these environmentally- friendly tips:

Fans. According to MAC (www.meralco.com.ph/mac/#), a three-blade ceiling fan cost P1.47 per hour to use versus P8.12 per hour of a 1-horsepower aircon. Good fans make it possible for you to raise your thermostat setting and save on aircon costs. Fans don’t use much energy, but when air is circulating, it feels much cooler. Shades, drapes or blinds. Install white window shades, drapes or blinds to reflect heat away from the house. Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep the sun’s heat out and help fans or aircons cool more efficiently.

Internal heat. Don’t put heat-generating appliances next to your aircon thermostat—the heat they produce will make the aircon think your house is warmer than it really is, and the system will run harder than it needs to. Try to avoid heat-generating activities, such as cooking, during the hottest part of the day. Plants. Plant trees or shrubs to shade aircon units, but avoid blocking the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity.

Roof and walls. If you’ve got a flat roof, paint it with a specially formulated reflective paint or just paint it white. The reflective effect will help keep the rooms under the flat roof much cooler. Humidity makes a room air feel warmer, so minimize washing and drying clothes, showering and cooking at midday. If you must do these things, turn on ventilating fans to help extract warm, moist air.

Source: http://freshome. com/2007/06/25/tricks-keepyour- house-cool-this-summer/