permaculture

[robert waldrop <rmwj@soonernet.com>]

While this is based on summer conditions in Oklahoma, there are useful
tips that folks can use in other areas.  Robert Waldrop, OKC

Clues for Okie Coolness:
On the JOYS of Living without Air Conditioning in Oklahoma, 
Simple ways to minimize air conditioning and save big bucks on your
summer electric bills.
By Robert Waldrop
http://www.energyconservationinfo.org/noacok.htm 

Keeping cool without AC, or while minimizing air conditioner usage, is
not rocket science.  It's mostly common sense.  These suggestions are
distilled from our four year experience of living without air
conditioning in Oklahoma City.  It should be remembered that our advice
is for this particular climate, but ideas may be found here for use
elsewhere.

1.  Stay hydrated.  Drink lots of water.  Avoid soft drinks and
caffeine, these will dehydrate you, as does alcohol.  The idea that an
ice cold soda pop is the perfect solution to thirst is a delusion
fostered by hundreds of millions of dollars of advertising and its
purpose is to enrich the stockholders and management of soda pop
corporations at your expense.  The more soda pop you drink, the more
thirsty you will be, the hotter you will feel, and thus the more
uncomfortable you will be in hot weather. Soda pop advertisements are
LIES!  This is a problem with both sugared and sugar free soft drinks. 

2.  Dress for the season when inside your house.  Wear shorts and a
light shirt.  Loose fitting clothes are cooler and more comfortable than
tight fitting garments. Go barefoot or wear sandals.  Natural fabrics
are cooler than synthetics.  At night, use light cotton sheets on your
bed.  Minimize indoor fabrics, as fabric increases interior humidity. 
This is good in the winter, but bad in the summer.  People living
without air conditioning should probably opt for no carpet on the
floors; during the winter they can lay down area rugs, but roll them up
and put them away during the summer.

3.   In the summer, shade is your friend. Keep the sun's heat from
hitting windows, doors, walls. Install window shades on the outside of
your house; indoor curtains are not enough (although they will help). 
Once the sun hits the glass and window frame, the heat is conducted
inside the house, even if you have indoor curtains, so shade them in
addition to your curtains. 

Be creative and you won't spend much money.  We have had great success
using mylar covered "bed mats" that are about 6' X 2'.  They cost a
dollar at a local store. We duct tape three of them together and hang
them on the outside of our windows.  Then we cover that with a white
roll up shade, which is mostly for appearance.  An inexpensive bamboo
roll-up window shade works fine, and we have also used those automobile
window shades with reflective surfaces. One or more curtains inside will
help, and choose white or another light color (sheets are do-able and
cheap, & more is better). Don't forget to shade  the doors if you don't
have a porch.  Shade cloth is available and can be used over windows,
although it costs more.

The best choice for your wall shade is vegetation. Although it takes
many years to grow a tall tree, vines grow in just a few weeks. Morning
glories provide plenty of shade plus flowers that are beautiful to look
at. We have grape vines on our trellis, so not only do we get shade, we
also get tasty grapes to eat.

If you have indoor thermal mass, such as concrete or brick floors, a
masonry fireplace, etc., make sure it is shaded so it doesn't soak up
heat during the day.  (The opposite of what you want to do in the
winter, of course.)

3.  When keeping cool without any air conditioning, the basic rule is:
keep the house closed up during the day when it is hot outside, and
ventilate it in the evening and at night when it is cooler.  At night we
put box fans in the windows to pull cool air in and hot air out of the
house, and we open nearly every window and door to facilitate cross
breezes.  During the day we close up the house to keep the heat out,
usually between 7 and 8 AM, depending on the outside temperature.  We
sometimes run a small window fan in a window that pulls air that has
been cooled by our shady trellis during the day, but we keep the rest of
the doors and windows closed.  You may find exceptions to this rule, so
in the beginning you will want to experiment to find the right
combination for your own particular situation, which is influenced by
the design and construction of your dwelling and the microclimate of its
site.

4.  Keep the air moving around inside.  We use ceiling fans and rotating
fans to create breezes in the house during the day and the night. 
Moving air can knock ten degrees off of the apparent temperature, so
fans can add considerably to indoor comfort.  They can also be used in
conjunction with conventional air conditioning.  With breezes inside,
you can set the thermostat temperature higher than would be the case
without the fans.  Box fans are good for use in windows, but for other
indoor uses, they are inefficient and usually noisy, rotary fans are
better. Variable speed fans will help you get the right amount of air.

5.  Insulation and weatherization help moderate indoor temperatures in
the summer too.

6.  Ventilate your attic.  We did this during our third summer without
air conditioning, and it added appreciably to the indoor comfort level.

7.  Minimize heat buildup inside the house. If you have a dishwasher,
don't use it or at minimum don't use the heat dry at the end of the
cycle. Take cool or lukewarm showers, rather than hot steamy showers. 
(If you aren't using AC, you won't want a hot shower in the summer
anyway.)  Check your electronic equipment.  Many devices such as
"instant on" televisions draw current all the time, and thus create
heat.  Plug them into an electrical outlet strip and turn it off and on
with the switch on the electric outlet strip, and thus eliminate the
"hot plates" adding heat to the indoor climate.  Don't use the clothes
dryer, hang your clothes on a line outside to dry.  If your neighbors
ask what you're doing, tell them you are using your "solar clothes
dryer".  If you smoke, do so outside.  Turn your computers off when they
are not in use. 

One of the biggest contributors to indoor heat and humidity is cooking,
so during the summer, we cook outside, on the porch.  I set up a "summer
kitchen" on our shady front porch (on the north side of the house). 
This consists of a small two burner camp stove, and a conventional
backyard gas grill.  Both are hooked to 20 pound propane bottles, and
seem to be fairly thrifty with their propane consumption, especially the
2 burner camp stove.  To use a 20 pound bottle with such small stoves,
which usually run on a small one pound or so bottle, you need a special
adaptor, sold at most propane and outdoor supply stores. 

We also have a large gas ring (advertised as a "turkey fryer") for
boiling larger amounts of water.  When I make pickles in the summer, my
boiling water canner fits it perfectly, and it brings the water to a
boil much faster than the natural gas stove in the house.  A little
roller cart, bought at a garage sale, completes the setup. I have a cast
iron skillet with a cover, it makes a fine "dutch oven" so that the gas
grill becomes an oven for baking casseroles or biscuits.   I do the prep
work in the regular indoor kitchen, load everything onto the cart, and
roll it out onto the front porch for cooking. When I cook outside, and
see the large clouds of smoke and steam rising from the pans, I am
reminded about how much heat and humidity cooking contributes to indoor
atmospheres.

Cooking outside also makes sense for people with air conditioning,
because the AC will have to work hard, and consume energy, and thus cost
you extra money, every time you cook a meal.

8.  If you are using no air conditioning at all, try to stay out of air
conditioned spaces. I am most uncomfortable when I come home from my
"perfectly" air conditioned office.  But on my days off, when I
generally stay out of air conditioned spaces, I am more comfortable. 
You body does acclimate itself to your surroundings, whatever they may
be. 

9.  A window air conditioner is more efficient than a whole house
central air conditioner IF you only use it to cool one room.  If you
can't afford to cool your whole house, or if you want to be responsible
and use less energy while not quite being ready to ditch AC entirely,
then cool only one or two rooms, and use the other strategies listed
above in the rest of the house.  Another money and energy saving
strategy is to wait for the hot heat of July and August to use your air
conditioner.

10.  If the heat becomes oppressive, dowse your head, arms, and feet
with cool water, or take a cool shower, or (my favorite) go outside and
dowse yourself with a water hose. Keep a spray bottle of cool water
handy, and give yourself a little spritz every once in a while.  
The title of this little essay is not a joke.  Life is a joy, and I
don't miss air conditioning, ESPECIALLY when I open our electric bill in
the summer.  Fans make less noise than air conditioners, and the gentle
breezes inside the house are refreshing, as is going outside and
spraying myself (and others) with the water hose.   Abandoning or
minimizing your air conditioner habit is a way to increase the quality
of your life.  As with any other movement towards sustainability, do
what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Summer 2003