How to beat the heat without breaking the bank
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- Bad heat wave that will reach 118 degrees today. I got so hot yesterday that I had to come up with some ideas.
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also kind people! please leave bowls of water outside for animals- fill the birdbaths too!
Another way to cool things down is to save large plastic containers that will fit into your freezer and fill them with water. Set the container with the frozen water in a shallow pan behind a box fan and you've got instant cool air that can be reused.
Ok you had me at walk around barefoot! That is my go to.
It’s so simple, ppl forget this! Also wearing a hat in the winter. 2 seconds and it really helps.
I have blackout curtains. I pull them during really hot days and really cold days. It sure helps.
Personal cooling: Soak your hands including your wrists in a bowl of cold water. It works quickly, possibly because blood vessels are close to the surface.
House: Cut white styrofoam to cover the windows on the sunny side of the house. White reflects sun a bit.
Happiness = dog companions + self-sufficiency. All you'll ever need.
The best upgrade I made on my house was covers that i made to cover my windows on the outside. That is always better then covering your windows from the inside as the sun does not heat up your windows.
@@claire1792 What type of material did you use for your window covers and how did you install it? I'd love to hear the details, please.
@@claire1792 Could you please share the details of what material you put on your windows & how you applied it, please?
I have been freezing water bottles and grapes and other treats for my chickens so they won't overheat this summer. I know that seems to sound silly, but I live in the north and I have cold weather chickens. They do not do well in the heat.
Even southern chickens don't do well in this heat!!
That’s not silly at all. Very important to keep them safe & plenty cool. I used iced water bottles & Tupperware containers in their water era, frozen hydrating treats, & a big fan in the coop. I saw a guy who did a video on how to make a diy ac for his coop.
Yes the joys of summer. Also 118 here in AZ today. We use styrofoam panels from the insulation dept of the hardware store. They are white and cut to fit our windows so from the outside it just looks white window covering. Then our regular sun blocking drapes. Work fantastic!
@@joycenagy3140 What is the thickness of your styrofoam panels and what do you use to cut them? They crumble so easily.
Utilize ice packs, lay on them etc. It cools your body down quick!
Yes it’s a toasty 117 here in Phoenix today. We are on the cost saving plan with our electric company so we don’t run the AC from 3-6pm. We cool off the house in the morning by running
the AC and go swimming, to the gym or library from 3-6. Hope our monsoon starts soon. Stay cool and thanks Prepper Princess.
No Central Air conditioner
Using a window AC
Living in a 1910 era Victorian house in Maine has been muggy several days
all day with high humidity up to 93%
* Coconut water ( drink)
* Mint soaps help when showering
* soak feet in cool water to lower body temperature ( wash basin)
* postpone appointments if possible until ( after the heat wave)
* cold showers are great
That mint soap is a great idea.
Listening carefully. I recall when you lost power during a hurricane and you and you dogs were SO hot. Taking notes! I am in hot and humid NC and it had been a beast here.
Me too. Just gave my horse a bath and changed the geese's two blue pools with deep well water. There is no end in sight. I heard yesterday that NC crops have perished from our scorching hot heat we had here in the month of June. Stay cool, fellow Tar Heel!👒🍉👣
here in nc. We have all curtains and doors closed and fans are on high and I am using my pressure cooker for dinners, if we even eat. We have mirrored window tint on our windows. Do as much as you can after 9 pm.
@@mellisa9459 I hear ya. I wake at sunup and vacuum and clean. Still sweat to death, lol! Quick fixes like tuna or chicken salad, tacos and burritos just to keep the kitchen from heating things up. Everybody I talk to in public is using box fans. Heat pumps are giving out. Pointing a box fan towards the intake will help your unit out a lot.
@@featheramericangoodeagle I am literally trying to flip my sleep schedule to staying up later and sleeping in so I can do housework and cook for the next day, later in the evenings.
@@featheramericangoodeagle yes, corn and soy have been pretty much decimated here :(
Im in Scotland, and our summer is well underway it hit 66° here its ment to rain tomorrow..... As much as we complain about our weather here, i should be greatfull as i honestly dont know how you guys cope in those sorts of temperatures 😢...
We added mini splits to our basement (contractor screwed up hvac 🙄)… they’re amazing. We’d love to add one to our second story eventually
We used to wet some sheets or light weight towels and put them under or in front of a fan...the water in the towels gave extra moisture in the air and added cooling into the room.
You can make a cooler with a small Styrofoam cooler. Prepare ice days ahead if you have room in freezer. Blocks of ice frozen. Small Styrofoam cooler size. Extra D batteries with a small fan that uses batteries. Usually found at camping world. Use freezer to freeze several blocks to fit inside cooler. Cut two holes in lid. Face down small fan blowing on ice in one hole fan sized and cool air will come out other hole. It will keep a closed small bedroom cool for you and pets. Keep blocks of ice in freezer wrapped in several layers aluminum foil. Then put in foil bags. They will last several days. You can drink cold water in bottom of cooler. Best of luck in heat.
I soak in a tepid bath before going to bed. I’ll sit in there for a half hour. If you don’t have a bathtub, just soak your feet in a basin of cold water. And stay hydrated.
Do you have a "whole house"/attic fan? Check and see what the temps are that are radiating heat downwards via the roof. Depending on the pitch of your roof, a few hearty solar blankets on lightweight frames up on spacers will greatly reduce the heat radiating down into and from your attic into your home. Putting them on "spacers", perhaps 6" or so, will allow for airflow. One of those inexpensive handheld thermostats will quickly show where the heat is coming from. It's like having your entire home covered in the shade of trees.
My mother-in-law had an attic fan. She would start it up at night and shut it down in the morning. It made sleeping feel like she had air conditioning. They are wonderful!
In Hungary we only have these mini splits, not the huge AC. We have one in each bedroom and in the living room and yes it's better to use a little bigger one, it's more effective. A life saver.
Honestly I don't understand US house building, though double glass windows are the best of course and the norm now, but even my great grandparents had double windows in the 1900s.
And every house has shutters, back then it was outside on the wall but now we have rolling shutters (I don't know what is the exact word). I keep them down all day long.
My grandparents and great grandparents also had a summer kitchen, which was in the side building so they didn't cook inside in the summer.
We also have one because we have a 1960s house.
I forgot to mention that my grandparents and great grandparents were peasants, so it was just traditional Hungarian housing.
I know you like to keep your privacy, but your house looks like a bungalow. I love bungalows ❤
I wet my head and have even hopped in the shower w clothes on, wear tank tops or bathing suit and loose shorts, go barefoot, apply wet towels, drink cold water, eat cold foods, open windows at night if cooler than the indoors then close as temps rise in the morning, drape windows to block the sun, close off unused rooms, and point fans I'm area I am.
I'm in California too. The water from the cold-water faucet is hot enough to take a shower in.
South Texas too.
That would really freak me out.
I worry about my French bull dog and bull mastiff have room ac for them all day😂
We put up dollar tree car sun shades, connected a few to fit each window, costed us way less than a roll of the same thing
Hi,here from Canada,try buying some bamboo blinds,and put them on the outside of your windows to keep the heat off the window glass. All the best😊
I went to the buck and a quarter tree and picked up foam core poster boards... the kind kids use for school projects. I put them in my windows and it works great.
I did too but I covered mine with aluminum foil as well. On the west facing windows I actually doubled up on those and sealed window off with plastic, the kind you use the blow dryer with to seal them. I can take them out at night to put the fans in to cool house down with the night air. I just roll the plastic up and secure it with a cloths pin. Then I use the box fans at night one pulling hot air out, the other bringing cold air in.. It's not pretty but I have no neighbors and it helps a huge amount."
From the Southeast USA.
Odds and ends.
The barefoot thing is a great idea. Or, use Flip Flops.
Water Heater.
Don't use your breaker box to turn on/off the water heater. Over time That will WEAKEN the springs in the switch and the switch Will not work Correctly. Ask a local Electrician.
Instead, install a "DOUBLE POLE (220V)" switch to turn on/off the water heater somewhere between the heater and breaker box..
Humidity today in the Southeast here is 83%. Tomorrow it drops to 78%. 🥴
Have a great day everyone, and Think Snow ❄️❄️. ✔️
.
I live in Wisconsin. The winters are ridiculously cold but summers are hot and humid but I remember we grew up with no AC only big box fans that we would lay in front of all night long thankfully we did have a pool in our yard so we swam most of the summer, but honestly, I don’t know how I could live without air conditioning now because I’m older now I can’t tolerate the heat
I put white 1 inch thick styrofoam cut outs in my window. This works fabulous winter and summer.
We are in Florida, our Central AC is on 24/7, set to 77. Our electric bill is usually $150 a month.
thats pretty cheap considering that power usage
I bought a product called Reflectix and cut it to the window size, put directly in the windows that get direct Sun. Works wonderfully. It’s insulated and reflective on the outside, very similar to car window shields.
Aluminum foil, blinds, cold showers, cold drinks, mopped floors with cold water, fans.
@@mrsm482 I agree with you 180% living in Arizona unfortunately my bedroom window faces the Western Sun..... so this year I decided I was going to take aluminum foil which I purchased from Dollar tree..... didn't even use all the sheets so for less than a $1.25 I was able to cover my bedroom windows..... from the inside it's not safe to try and do it from the outside..... it has made an absolute incredible and I went emphasize incredible difference!
I walk around barefoot almost everywhere except going out in public or mowing my front and backyard I don’t want to lose a toe.
Arizona teaches you emergency cooling ideas. Mine is to use simple curtain and tension rods at your kitchen door entrance. Amazing how much this has made a big difference between the two rooms. You are a wealth of information I rely on. Thank you
I have handled Florida heat for three years running only a $50 massive metal-bladed finger-chopping jet engine-sounding fan from Walmart, uses 1/5th the electricity of an AC. Occasional showers if I get too hot. You can acclimate to anything.
I’ve tried since 1971. It never happened. ☹️
@@GrannyLinn Bummer, sorry to hear! My mother-in-law also has acclimated, but then she's a tough old bird 😂
There is another company that's coming out with a 100 % solar DIY mini split and plug into a 120 outlet when the sun is not cutting it.
It pulled like 200 watts when it was in amazing the name escapes me .
I have a regular HD 120v window AC - 3 of them actually - and plug them into my 120v solar system.
I had a wall of west-facing windows in my last house. I didn’t care what the neighbors thought, I put tin foil on the windows until fall. It did help.
It helps to be married to an HVAC Tech! My Husband installed our two mini split systems. Which saved us when our main old A/C broke in the middle of the summer last year!
I recently installed a mr cool diy mini split in a friends house it was very easy. The one I did had 4 heads so it was a bit involved. Bit a single head would be easy for a do it yourself er.
I put white trash bags over windows and then I put heavy contractor bags that are thick black. Then I have black out curtains over that
Hi, Pepper, again i forgot to say i love your dogs and the way you care for them. I have a lovely dog, she means the whole world to me. ❤
I run thru the sprinkler or have the hubbs hold the garden hose while I run thru it- still running thru at 54!
Just live by the Northern California coast. The afternoon fog and wind will cool you down. There is literally a 40-degree difference between here and the Central Valley. All the houses around here have no AC.
Too close to the Cascadia Subduction Zone!
Cute dogs! Thank you for showing them!!! ❤️
I did the same thing with our windows and used emergency blankets. But we have HOA. So, I would cover the cardboard with an emergency blanket and a nice fabric over it. So you can't see it from the outside. Fit tight on the windows. Then, use regular curtains inside. No one knows. Pure darkness in the house and keeps cool 🤣 I live in Phoenix, I also use portable swamp coolers and stay in one room. If it's really bad, I set ac on 80. The electricity bill is no joke here. Summer time can get to $450 for us. Meh.
Prepper, girl I needed this video today, I’m buying a house on Thursday (closing) and I was trying to think about ways to keep house cool. I have no AC at all. Mini split I already thought of. But my single pane windows, with your video, I gonna put tent on them. I still want the look of an original window. But I need to retract that heat in this old house in south Texas
I hope it cools off at night for you.
Great info! Maybe consider turning down volume on tv or better yet, turn it off while videoing! Love your content!
Watching the dark side of life ,it made me cry, my dad was an alcoholic and died at 60. You have so much common sense. I was addicted to coke for years (the pop) l never had a weight problem until l was in my 40s and had a hysterectomy. Then for 30 years l fought my weight.thankfully l never weighed to much to affect my health, addictions are horrible.
I'm sorry for all the states and folks having all this heat! I live in Alaska, and we have had a very cool summer. 2 1/2 weeks of warm weather up to the highest of 78 degrees. We didn't get "summer" until mid-May. Back down in th 50's and low 60's with high 40's at night. We are thankful, though, that clouds, higher humidity, and some rain and cool weather has helped with all our wildfires.
I am down here in South Texas on the Gulf Coast. What works for me is staying in a back room using a ceiling fan and turning the Refrigerated Air Conditioning up to 82 degrees in the house. As long as I can remove the humidity, I am cool. The A/C unit is not constantly cycling and on a 1300 sq, foot house. I am averaging a $170 electric bill where as my neighbors are paying at least $200 or $300 a month right now.
Grill Baby Grill! In this heat it’s all about cooking outside n cold salads.
I love that you are a believer. May you have many blessings PP. Friend of mine says she swaps out her tea towels in the freezer. She wets them and puts them in the freezers and then wears them around her neck to stay cool
Thank you PP. ❤❤Love the pups!
I keep DARK COLORED BLANKETS up on my windows, over the blinds&curtains to keep the sun/heat out. It helps a whole lot. I'm sure the cardboard helps also.
You could have mentioned that you have your hair up in a bun! That keeps you cool, too. Also, keeping curtains and window blinds closed, blackout curtains, hand-held water sprayer fans, and the little box called Arctic Air helps for a small area. Keeping ice in your drink and your pet water bowl, eating cold foods like fruit, salad and yogurt, cold treats like frozen juice pops and homemade ice cream are good, too!
We use the foil emergency blankets and painters tape. Easy to put up on the inside of your windows, you can see out and it's very cost effective at a buck a window
We had Rolladen shutters installed years ago and so glad we did. They are worth it. It was 120 degrees yesterday.
Hello from UK where it is 12 degrees and forcast for more rain for the next 11 days.
It's winter where you are!🎉
No, uk is mid summer at present but winter temperatures compared to you!@annsaunders5768
Insulated curtains are very helpful as well. I live near Savannah and by using insulated curtains on most of my windows I've managed to keep my bill down by $20.00.
Thanks for the precharged recommendation !
I put a cold can of pop from the fridge, put on my belly. Worx!
Love the doggie outro.
I'm an hvac tech. Heat pump is simply a reversing valve on the outdoor condensing unit. Reverses the refrigerant flow to absorb heat from outdoor air and transfer inside. Heat pump or straight cool, one or the other. I always go with unit with a reversing valve. Heat pump can still extract heat from out door air when temperature is -15 degrees. Well worth the couple hundred bucks for heat pump. If unit is a straight cool then a heating coil is used for heat. Same principal a toaster. Uses a lot of power! I don't recommend heating with coils.
i have been so inspired since i found your channel ,I am so glad when i find Christians who i admire,i live in Everett Washington and today will hit 87 that is hot for me ,got 2 fans going ,every year when i get through the heat waves i am happy i did not spend for A/C,i could buy one on amazon but not yet,thank you for sharing your Wisdom with us,
I'm a little south of you in Enumclaw, it's 95 outside at the moment, how'd you end up that much cooler?! I'm jealous! It's 87°F. INSIDE in my upstairs right now. Hopefully on in the low '70's downstairs. Hoping to not have to hook up the AC unit today, but unlikely I will get away with not using it.
A dehumidifier helps in humid areas. Cuts down on mold and helps the rooms feel cooler. You can reuse the water on plants.
Your lows aren’t too bad. I might let a window open in the middle of the night to let some cool air in.
My lows are currently 82
Please do some research and calculations before you replace the origiñal double hung probably old growth fir or better windows. Those old windows were designed to take advantage of natural air flow and should last for at least 200 years with minor maintenance. Please check it out.
I paid to have a minisplit installed in a little rental cabin on the property. The main house came with an older HVAC unit and I have kept it on 79-80. Very thankful for the trees shading the houses in the afternoon. I put on wet clothes from the washing machine when going outside to work.
Trying to beat the cold here in Australia. Bloody bone chilling...and our heating bills are extortionate.
Check this out before getting a cooling system. I was told by someone in hvac that the freon chemicals must change in the USA as of next January and that units sold before 2025 can't be charged with the new coolant. The recommendation was to wait if I could because a small pinhole leK wouldn't be worth fixing if u couldn't recharge the unit. I am NOT an HVAC person ... just passing this along for people to ask questions ... and get it in writing. Keep cool! Bea in NV (yes, was 120F yesterday)
I will sleep in a wet t-shirt and with a frozen water bottle.
Cellulose mini-blinds have the lowest thermal bridge of any material. Also, solar 90 window screens let in some light but really cut the heat like you wouldn't believe. I use it on my west-facing bathroom windows and it cuts my cooling bill since the house doesn't heat up as much.
we live in the country so if we open our upstairs windows at night and the lower ones early in the am, we get enough cool air to keep the house cooler...we don't cook a lot during these hot summer days...if I want a hot dish, its the crock pot out on the deck or the grill outside...we do use fans a lot...we have on window air condition for our good size house and its enough...some summers we don't even put it up...
Your old house is so neat. Love your practical ideas!
Ps…. Hubby & i need to get our car smogged later this week & I asked him if there is anywhere cool to wait. He said in a folding chair out in the sun 😢 I was gonna see if you could stop by there & meet for a few Min. as i feel like “Happenstance” may never take place . Hopefully one day. 🙏🏻
Thank you for all your suggestions! I have a few questions if you have time. How much did it cost you to replace your electric wiring? Do you have insulation? I don't and my house was built in 1939. How much was it to install the mini-split? I am burning up in central CA!
I too am listening closely! We live in SC, where heat index has been anywhere from 97-110 lately.
We have film , blinds, and curtains on all our windows, all 3 on hottest East facing one.
My bedroom is like a cozy cave and I love it.
We have ceiling fans (reversed for summer) in every room as well
We are always drinking water, iced tea or iced coffee. No soda!
Also have a cool towel I wear around my neck or tie around my head when go outside in the evening to water my plants and flowers
Stay cool and safe everyone
Thanks as always for the videos Amber
Hi from SC.😊💕🏝️
We have single pane windows. Spray windows with water and stick bubble wrap to the glass to insulate. On the south and west windows put reflective film. All windows have blinds and black out curtains. All rooms have ceiling fans. We're in Texas and still have to run the AC, but the bill is reasonable
I also put very damp towels in the freezer and wrap around my neck or put on my belly when laying down. It makes a huge difference.
Wow, 118 degrees! I never heard of it being that hot over there in Cali ! Stay cool, sis! We are having heat wave here in New York. I love the tip you gave on closing out rooms you're not currently using. That makes sense , in order to keep your home less hot. Blessings!
I only saw it this hot once when I lived in the Bay Area when I was about 12 years old.
@@PrepperPrincess oh I see
Mini splits are nice. Just installed one for 600 bucks
100F in Reno NV today w 8% humidity. My house is well insulated, and I have insulating curtains all pulled closed today. Feels like a cool, dark cave in here today at 75F. Problem is smoke in air from CA wildfires, so I have to run the AC w HEPA filter to clean the indoor air.
Well since you asked PP (what is going on ? ) … I just got laid off yesterday. Good thing I subscribed to your channel. You’ve got so many ideas in your videos that I’m looking forward to an even better future.
These are all great ideas! My first house was in Central Florida - It had a huge window A/C unit that cost $15 per day to run and old, crank-out windows. My son and I lived there for three years using only ceiling fans, tree shade, and good window screens. I did make reflectors like yours for the front windows where the evening sun hit. When I bought my current home, I budgeted for new windows (I highly recommend them!), attic insulation, and a tankless water heater. I'm now saving for an A/C upgrade and am considering mini splits. My house is about 1094 sq ft, so one large one just might work!
Foil works well and thick curtains
I put two room sets of darkening/sun blocking curtains on my bedroom windows (cream next to window - so neutral to the outside - and burgundy on the "room" side) The 2nd set was an investment for sure, but I will more than save it back, likely in a couple of years, in cooling costs in the summer and heating costs in the winter.
I want to do this throughout the house but I'm not going into my savings to do it. So it will take some time. In the meantime I'm keeping as many room doors closed as I possibly can. It helps!
Also I bought a cooling mat to use when my daughter's puppies are here. I can turn the temperature up three or four degrees (so less air conditioning costs) when they have that. The little Pom, in particular, is very susceptible to heat exhaustion (found this out the hard way (3 days in vet hospital! $$$ !!! and she still nearly died) a couple of years ago. Prevention is key.
I love your videos and watch regularly, you are so clever. I would love for you say things it £s as well please.
Listening to you today, I just can't help feeling a bit jealous! Mid summer here in North Wales Britain, it rained all night, now it is 18°c In the house, outside is 14°c . I have my winter clothes on, and for most of this summer its been like winter, Raining, windy, clouds and the sun comes out maybe a few hours in the afternoon if we are lucky.
I have 7 solar panels, no battery (too expensive for me at the moment) Good Raspberries on a plus side. No apples this year or cherries on the tree. My Bungalow is not that well insulated, as it was built 1939.
So like I said, I can't help feeling a bit jealous.
I have always lived a frugal life, and enjoy doing it, as well as its necessary.
Never had a credit card.
Don't have a car, bus near my home. With love Sandra ❤🎉
At 9 am in the morning here in CNY it will be 80 degrees with 69% humidity. High of 91 degrees and 50 % humidity. Can't wait to do the gardening. Uh that won't be happening, except to get meals, no weeding allowed.
That is WONDERFUL that you run your mini-split off of solar. If you made a video about your solar, I'll search for it.
I used my window AC unit, hooked them up to my solar panels out in the yard and solar generator. So coooool
I hang cotton drop cloths outside so the sun doesn't hit the window. I hang on curtain rods with curtain clips.
Thank you for all your tips, I especially liked the walking bear foot- it works!😊
For people looking to buy a home in a non-desert area: SERIOUSLY reconsider homes with no shade. I know our big numerous trees are a risk, but my neighbors all BAKE in the sun. Just no shade at all. Ugh… mentally it helps to be in shade too. I find hot weather when there no rain to be depressing. My sleep well visualization incudes my skis 🎿
So true. I had a friend that had so much shade, his apartment was about 10 degrees cooler
The block i live on hardly has any trees . The street next to us has many trees and kid you not I can feel the difference in temp when I take walks it feels a couple degrees fresher.
Thank you for the video Princess Amazonia . You're so resourceful . Rocky is a gentle giant and Nala is lovely . Take Care . God bless you .🕊️🇨🇵💗🇺🇲
When we upgraded our windows, porches and siding we decided to close the west facing windows filled them in and added the siding. The old ones were just baked.
The solar panel/ mini split A.C. / Heat Pump packages now available are spectacular! Signature Solar has them.
You did to the windows is what I do here in Arizona. They made a master bedroom out of what used to be in Arizona room and it's all windows. I have put up reflective fabric I have also sprayed them with a frosting spray.. but all those methods work I've covered cardboard with aluminum foil.
Our home is a large, pre-civil war brick farmhouse. Almost all of our 46 windows are single pane original. We have replaced a few and intend to continue doing so, but it’s all custom millwork as they are not standard modern sizes. We live in Vermont, but we know about hot! Lately it’s been high 80’s and low 90’s, and some days humidity has been 96%. Once these bricks heat up, it’s like living in a pizza oven. One of our best tactics is keeping curtains closed. I’m going to get busy cutting up some Chewy boxes and try out your cardboard and foil suggestion. Thanks!❤
I have a misting hose on a timer, next to the coil unit outside, set to turn on at the
hottest hours of the day, 5 minutes on 15 minutes off (if we had a water emergency, i couldn't do this)
Absolutely Prepper Princess. Mini splits are awesome. ❤