We all love a student rental with air conditioning – things get hot and humid in the summers. But it’s not like you can replace windows, upgrade your thermostat, or otherwise alter the house – you’re renting it after all. So how are you supposed to stop your utility bills from ruining your weekend spending? Without sweating to death, of course?
Here are 10 tips and renter-friendly steps you can take to stay cool without overworking your AC and your wallet:
1. Turn the thermostat up just 3 or 4 degrees. It won’t make a big difference in how the apartment feels, but it’ll reduce the amount of times your AC unit turns on and how long it has to run to maintain the temperature.
2. Box fans are the truth. On not-too-horrible days, instead of running your AC, open a couple windows and stick a box fan in one of them. You’d be surprised how nice and cool a cross breeze feels even on a warm day.
3. Keep frozen treats in the house! There are zero downsides to this. Simply eating a popsicle or an ice cream can lower your core body temperature, making you cooler.
4. Pull the blinds. We all love natural sunlight, but at the same time, it’s not helping your efforts to keep cool. Enjoy the morning sunlight and then close the curtains when it starts to get warm; you’ll notice a difference in how much your AC has to work almost immediately.
5. Take a cold shower. Feeling a little overheated? A cold shower, like a popsicle, can lower your body temperature and get you back to feeling comfortable and cool.
6. Be strategic about meal prep. If you’re trying to keep the house cool, it’s not the time for a stir fry. Try to keep cooking to the mornings, and always use the exhaust fan to minimize heat accumulation. Or cook outside! Summer nights are the perfect excuse to grill out anyway.
7. Choose breathable bed sheets. Linen’s the best, but regular cotton is a great option, too, and less expensive. Keep things light colors, too, that won’t absorb heat.
8. Close doors. If you have an extra room, a roommate is gone for the weekend, or you know you won’t use your bedroom until it’s late and cool out again, close doors off. Less places for the AC to cool = AC turning on less.
9. Ask your landlord to double check that all the windows are properly sealed. A drafty window can be just as bad for energy loss in the summer as it is in the winter.
10. Don’t forget to drink water! The more dehydrated you are, the less your body is able to regulate its own temperature. Plus, if you throw some ice in there, you’ll cool yourself down, too.
And all the money you save on not running that AC system morning, noon and night? There’s always a JackieO’s down the street… just saying.