Tips on how to cool your home for cheap: from a native. (house)

[sliverbox]

When I was growing up, we did have central air, but being in the late 70's and early 80's, central AC wasn't exactly efficient nor cheap. So my parents devised a clever way to keep the house pretty cool except on perhaps some of the hottest days.

The solution was that we had a rather large 3.5 foot wide fan facing down into the hallway. There was a large slatted vent that would open when the fan switch was turned on. The way it worked was to suck cool air from the basement up and the hot air from up top out into the attic. This was helped further by the fact that we also had vents in the floor that you could open.

At night when things cooled down, you could crack a few windows in each room and the vacuum from the fan would suck cool air from outside. It was pretty powerful and I have fond memories of tossing papers and stuff in the air under the fan so it would get magically sucked up and away- a treat for my dad who found piles of paper in the attic years later.

More advice: get a GOOD fan, not one of those crappy Wal-Mart box fans. We always bought Patton brand fans. Those suckers put out a really high velocity and you could feel them from across the room. In fact, we still have a few, so I know they last a heck of a lot longer too.

Lastly, if you DO go with AC, if the house comes with some ancient 60's-80's thing, it is probably more cost effective to replace it. My parents finally replaced their rusted-out AC unit a few years ago and the new one iss 50% more efficient, plus it is quiet.

And to conclude for all of you who are from other parts of the country who come here and ask questions like: " Does it got hot and humid in TN?" well... yes it does as a matter of fact. Some might find it too hot, most get used to it. Come and visit during the summer to find out first.

stay cool ya'll.

[MB2]

Thank's so much for the info
Yes, I do have to caution people too, thinking that it doesn't get hot during the summer months here...YES, it certainly does!!!
I could not live in a house without it, sorry...lol