What are the Alternative Air Conditioning Solutions for Homes?

Alternatives to modern-day air conditioning date back over seven thousand years. Most of these are integrated into the design of the building. They allow for an abundance of airflow, that occasionally is directed over water features, and pay detailed attention to insulation. These ideas remind us that we could be more energy efficient when it comes to our modern building techniques.

Not everyone can plan ahead and build an eco-friendly home with four foot thick insulated walls and natural air ducts built into the structure. Yet there are quite a few things that we can do to live more in harmony with our environment and be aware of our carbon footprint.

Options to Reduce the Temperature of your Home Naturally

The first step is to do an assessment of your home and look for simple changes that can have large effects. Start by checking or installing extra insulation around doorways and windows to make sure you aren't letting in more heat than you need to. Cover your windows with reflective film, blinds, or drapes to help lower the radiant temperature in your home. Awnings and shade trees or vines also help greatly in reducing the temperature outside of your home, lessening the need for air conditioning. Installing a misting system on your patio can lower the temperature up to 10 degrees. 

Efficient Air Conditioning Solutions for your Home

Sometimes the entire temperature of the home does not need to be lowered for the people in it to be more comfortable. There is a wide variety of indoor fans that can easily be moved to where the family is gathering in the home. Ceiling fans also have two settings, clockwise, pushing warm air (heat rises) from the ceiling down to warm you up, and counter-clockwise in the summer to circulate the cool air around you. Placing a wet sheet or bowl of ice in front of a fan will create even cooler air.

Adiabatic cooling is based on the science of evaporative cooling. Adiabatic coolers draw in the air from the room and circulate it through wet pads, as the pads dry, the air cools and then is pushed into the room. They are relatively small and can be moved from room to room. Adiabatic or evaporative coolers such as swamp coolers are great for high temperatures in the summer but may stop working if the relative humidity becomes too high.

How Air Conditioning Affects Air Quality in your Home

When faced with extreme heat in the summer, we tend to not open our windows, and rely on traditional air conditioning solutions that may decrease the air quality in our homes. Certain types of plants can improve the indoor air quality in your home naturally. Air purifiers and regular maintenance to any air conditioning unit including changing the filters monthly will also improve the air quality in your home.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality Naturally

Your home is the place you go to relax, entertain, and have fun with family and friends. You try to keep it as clean as possible and it looks that way on the surface. However, the air that you are breathing in could be damaging your health. 

What should I know about indoor air quality?

Indoor air quality is the quality of air in and around building structures and how it pertains to an individual's health and wellbeing. This is important as a homeowner because you want the quality of air in and around your home to be great. When the indoor air quality is low this can cause difficulties for people in a household. 

How can indoor air quality be reduced?

Indoor air quality decreases when a number of factors occur in a home. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some elements that can contribute to indoor air quality is tobacco, certain building materials, household items, personal care items, HVAC systems, humidity, outdoor air pollution, as well as wood and gas appliances. Your HVAC is one of the biggest appliances in your home, so if you think it's contributing to your poor air quality, call One Call Home Services.

As you can see, many of these items are probably in your home right now, which can cause your home's air quality to decrease. When air quality is low in a household, the occupants in a home could develop serious illnesses. 

What health problems can develop due to poor indoor air quality?

Various health problems can develop, or already established illnesses can become irritated when the indoor air quality of a home is poor. Some health problems that can develop are asthma, allergies to even cancer. 

Some of these illnesses can occur after immediate exposure to poor indoor air quality such as headaches and asthma attacks. While others may not develop until years after being exposed to the low-quality indoor air. These include illnesses such as cancer and medical problems involving the heart, lung, and respiratory system. 

How can I improve my indoor air quality naturally?

One thing that you can do immediately is to open the windows and doors in your home, allowing ventilation. Ventilation removes stagnant air and allows for fresh air to enter your home. While the window is open you can also turn on a fan to get the air in your house circulating. 

Placing houseplants around your home is another natural way of improving air quality. The leaves of a plant can absorb excess moisture in a room which decreases the humidity. Humidity is a contributor to poor indoor air quality as mold and dust mites grow in this environment. 

According to Interesting Engineering, a salt lamp gets rid of low-quality indoor air. They help to eliminate air contaminants that cause asthma.

Use natural cleaning products such as vinegar and lemon when cleaning your home. Other types of cleaning products contain harsh chemicals that release pollutants and decrease your air quality.

Can you see how the air in your home could be affecting your health? Now you can work to eliminate air pollutants and take the necessary steps to improve the air quality of your home naturally.