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.