The other day I wished I could send some of our weather (52 degrees and raining) to the parched areas of the country, especially to farming regions. Turns out that the Gulf of Alaska was thinking along the same lines.
The Midwest and, eventually, the East Coast will be feeling the effects of “a poor man’s polar vortex” in the week to come. That’s what Washington Post weather editor Jason Samenow calls the “deep pool of cool air” that will dip down into the Great Lakes region in a day or so.
You’re welcome.
Before and after, though, U.S. residents worry about the cost of keeping cool. Nearly two-thirds of the 2,035 people surveyed by HomeServe USA are concerned about the hit that air conditioning will have on their budgets. Yet 55 percent will suck it up and pay whatever it takes to chill out.
Your AC works better when you change the filters and/or have the system inspected to look for potential problems like refrigerant leaks. The same is true for heating systems, so homeowners who haven’t changed filters or had tune-ups should get on that. (Some companies even offer early-bird discounts.)
And what about those who don’t have air conditioning?
Don’t get all pious and say, “People did just fine for thousands of years without air conditioning.” They didn’t necessarily do all that well – they were damned uncomfortable and maybe those with health issues died from the heat and humidity.
Staying frosty
That said, there are ways to keep air conditioning to a minimum. For example, did you know that you can freeze a rice sock instead of heating it up? Or that dipping your feet in a bucket of cold water before bed will cool your whole body?
Or so says Sophia Breene in this post on the Greatist website. Some interesting tips here, so definitely give it a read. But I’d like to add a corollary to Breene’s fifth idea of wetting a sheet or towel with cool water and using it as a blanket. Recently DF’s mom told us about an old Houston technique: Soak the top sheet in cool water and go to bed with a fan aimed directly at you.
Tons of chilly-down articles exist, so I’ve picked a few worth sharing:
“23 tips for keeping the house cool,” from Care2
“15 ways to keep cool when it’s hot,” from MedicineNet.com
“Natural ways to stay cool this summer,” from Prevention
“11 affordable ways to stay cool in the summer heat,” from Philly.com
While I bemoan the media’s tendency toward hyperbole when it comes to weather, the fact is that folks do die from the heat. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 7,415 people died from heat-related causes between 1999 and 2010.
So wherever you are, I hope you’re reasonably comfortable and remain that way until fall. At that point we can all start griping about how cold the house feels when we get up.
Additional reading:
- Can’t stand the heat? Get into the kitchen – but only long enough to make iced tea
- Beware false economies
- Can’t get ahead? Try a “savings challenge”
- 8 tips for living on your own
Living in metro Chicago I am one who currently has my a/c on. At 1:30 am it is 72 here. I did some cooking ahead so no need for the oven BUT I do have several items I want to cook this week and am looking forward to the cooler temps on what is normally a VERY hot week for us.
However, I KNOW Mother Nature will catch up & kick us in the rear – prob in late Aug or Sept AFTER school starts.
I was one of the few who didn’t mind the Polar Vortex this winter. I never have to shovel the cold, just the snow. So IF it was guaranteed that although the temp would never get above 20F all winter there would be virtually no snow…I’d take it in a heartbeat. This summer has been nice. Not too hot just a bit too rainy. A welcome reprieve to/from the winter from hell.
Over heating is a big issue here in the southwest. Every year the news reminds people not to leave dogs and kids in the car even for a second not watched and it seems like every year there is still a child death. So this is my reminder to stay cool and out of the sun if at all possible. We don’t want anyone to have heat stroke or die.
Indeed. My daughter and SIL live in Phoenix and boy, is it toasty there…I’ll be swinging through for a couple of days at the end of the month and will experience firsthand the magic of the Southwest — or, as I like to call it, “Satan’s Fry Daddy.”
So crack those windows, boys and girls, and don’t even think of leaving a pet in the car. Even “just for a minute.”
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
Thanks for the tips and our weather has been hot and humid….like in the mid 90’s with humidity in the 90’s… So the polar vortex is welcomed. DW looked at the forecast for this coming week high of 80 with lows in the 60’s at night for the next week or so….It can stay like this for the rest of the Summer as far as I’m concerned…
I heard about the vortex (I live in the Midwest), so I’m waiting for the cool temps.
I was one of the few individuals in my circle of friends & family who managed to keep my AC off til mid-June. Once it hit 78 degrees while sleeping thought it went on. Otherwise, I simply don’t sleep.. tossing & turning. One thing I do to cool my body off before bed is put an ice pack on my head. My thermostat sits at 74/75, never lower. 77 when I leave the house. And I keep 2 fans running and my blinds/curtains closed. So far, it keeps my bill manageable.
I am looking forward to the polar vortex! I am not going to complain about the hot weather here in New York after our long winter but I am going to have a smile on my face for the next few days and enjoy a few 75 degree days 🙂
I enjoy a dose of cool weather in summer. Jersey weather is one of the things that I joke about. If you live in Jersey all the nation’s weather comes here: freezing cold Alaska days, comfortable crisp San Diego days, and sweltering humid Florida days. We get it all and sometimes if we are very lucky a 60 degree temperature swing in the same day. Who could ask for anything more:)
All that plus Tastykakes, Wawa and frozen custard. Woo hoo!
http://donnafreedman.com/2013/07/09/signs-youre-in-south-jersey/
I grew up in the 60’s and we didn’t have air conditioning. My mother always suffered greatly from the heat. The summer I was maybe 11 or 12, we had an extended hot and humid streak. I remember hearing her tell my dad “get me air conditioning now or put me 6 foot under tomorrow”.
I don’t know how he did it, but dad found an air conditioner. Neighbor was an electrician and dad pleaded with him as he wasn’t supposed to do private work, being a good union member. He put in the 220 plug where a/c was going and installed it that evening.
Mom survived that heat spell and many more. She lived to be 90 and passed away earlier this year. Up to her dying day, she was always hot and had to have fan blowing on her.
My parents had an air conditioner in their bedroom because my dad was working nights and needed the AC noise to drown out his noisy kids. He put an air conditioner in the living room when I was maybe 12 or 13, and eventually put one in the kitchen. Before that, the canning of tomatoes was a very unpleasant experience since we poured boiling water on the fruits to soften the skins and then had to water-bath them for half an hour. Whew.
Hot spells during two of my Seattle summers sent temps up to 100 for a few days at a time. One of them was when I was attending a summer fellowship on the UW campus, in a building with no AC and narrow windows. The ceiling fan stirred the air around, but it was still some damned hot air. My apartment had no AC and its windows were tall sliders so I couldn’t put my own in — and for extra credit, those tall windows faced south and west. I drank a lot of iced tea during those warm spells.
Probably the hottest summer I remember, though, was the summer of 1976 because I was working in a glass factory. Wow, was that unpleasant.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.