10 Tips to Keep Cool With A Lower Carbon Footprint

With temperatures rising around the world, more countries are experiencing unprecedented heat or more days of dangerously hot weather. We’re all going to need tips to keep cool with lower carbon emission.

While it’s tempting to keep the air-conditioning running to stay cool and comfy, it comes with a price. Every time we run the air-conditioner, we’re burning fossil fuel and releasing carbon and heat into the air.

In 2016, an estimated 10% of the world’s energy expenditure were used on air-conditioning, and this is set to increase as nations like India, Indonesia and the Middle Eastern countries becomes wealthier. At the moment, the US uses the most electricity on air-conditioning in the world.

With the current state of climate emergency, we need to think about our air-conditioning habits, as uncomfortable as it’ll make us.

I grew up in tropical Singapore, naturally I’m familiar with heat. So I’ve put together a list of things you can do to deal with the heat and keep your cool.

However, before you read the tips, let’s go over some important safety pointers. Heatwaves can kill. We want to lower our carbon footprint, but we don’t want heat exhaustion!

4 Things to keep in mind in hot weather

Pay attention to the heat index

Heat index is a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is taken into account with air temperature.

Humidity can impact temperature regulation for our body. Our body sweats when we’re hot, and the evaporation of sweat removes heat from our body.

The more humid the environment is, the harder it is for sweat to evaporate and remove heat from your body. That’s why for the same air temperature, a humid day would feel a lot warmer than a dry day.

So pay attention to the heat index. It’s strongly related to heat exhaustion.

Understanding how the body deals with heat

In general, it’s a good idea to limit outdoor activities when the heat index exceeds 90⁰F/32⁰C, especially for young children and elderly.

Even physically fit individuals can get heatstroke, because this is not about fitness level, it’s about temperature regulation.

The human body maintains an internal temperature between 98.6 to 100.4⁰F (37 to 38⁰C). When body temperature is below the temperature in the environment, the body can regulate itself by releasing heat into the environment.

We’re not designed to stay in a temperature of 98.6⁰F/37⁰C for long periods of time.

When environmental temperature approaches 100⁰F (37.8⁰C), heat from the environment will begin to flow into the body. At that point, the body will increase perspiration to remove excess heat through the evaporation of sweat.

This also means that on very humid days, high temperatures are even more dangerous as it prevents sweat from evaporating.

Drink lots of water

When we sweat, we lose water and salt. If we don’t replenish the water we lost, we can become dehydrated and that’s dangerous! So make sure you drink enough water, drink enough so that you’re peeing as much as you do when it’s not hot out.

Also, eat some salty snacks. Or drink water with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar added into each liter. The sugar helps you to absorb the salt.

Know the signs of heat exhaustion

Pay attention to your body and how you’re feeling. According to WebMd, if you’ve been exposed to high temperature and begin to feel these symptom, it could be heat exhaustion:

• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Excessive thirst
• Muscle aches and cramps
• Weakness
• Confusion or anxiety
• Drenching sweats, often accompanied by cold, clammy skin or a sensation of prickly skin
• Lack if perspiration in the heat
• Slowed or weakened heartbeat
• Dizziness and fainting
• Agitation

Move to a cooler area, lie down, and drink lots of water. Grab someone to stay with you till you feel better!

If the symptoms do not subside in 15 minutes, seek medical attention immediately. Heat exhaustion can be fatal.

---

Okay, now that you’re reminded of the things to look out for in hot weather, we can now discuss ways to keep cool with a lower carbon footprint!

Now, these tips would never keep you as cool as an A/C would, but they’ll make the heat more manageable.

Tips to keep cool with a lower carbon footprint

1. Equip yourself with fans

A fan uses a lot less electricity than A/C.

In Singapore, the temperature regularly hits the 90s. When I’m home, I avoid using the air-conditioning because 1. it’s uses a lot of energy, 2. higher electricity bill and 3. it makes my nose run.

The fan is my best friend. If you’re really hot, put yourself right in the path of the fan at top speed. It’ll help.

However, if you’re new to life without A/C, it may take a little getting used to, which brings me to the next point…

2. Allow your body time to adjust to the heat (indoors)

When you’re very used to air-conditioning, a warmer house may make you feel like you’re being baked in an oven, so you feel like you have to have A/C! Don’t give in!

Unless you’re suffering from some health condition that prevents you from regulating your body temperature normally, your body should be able to adjust to some heat.

To be clear, I’m talking about being indoors with a fan, in a ventilated area. Don’t try it in a stuffy and hot little room with a huge window and no shade. Please don’t.

I know, it sounds like a torture to let your body adjust to the heat, but that’s what millions of people do all over the world, everyday.

I also find it easier for the body to deal with hot weather if I skip A/C entirely while I deal with the heat with other methods. A/C is like chocolate, the more you have it, the more you want it.

However, please keep in mind that everyone’s body and reaction to heat is different. Please exercise caution, and ease into it.

3. Prepare your home

If you know it’s going to be a hot day, prepare for it.

In the morning, draw the curtains and shut the windows. This prevents the hot air from entering the house, and reduces the sun’s rays from heating up the house.

Once it gets cooler in the evening, open the windows to air the house. Leave the windows open if you can so the hot air dissipates. If it’s still very hot, you can try placing a tub of ice in front of an oscillating fan.

I read that pointing a fan towards a window helps to keep the hot air out too. I haven’t tried this because the fan is blowing towards me! And it keeps me cool enough for the most part.

Remove extra pillows from the bed, those would trap heat.

4. Cool water tricks

Take a cool water shower. Taking a couple of quick cool showers a day does wonders to keep you cool too. Otherwise, wet a washcloth and run it over your neck and arms and torso every now and then.

5. Dress right

Wear loose fitting clothes in light colors. Dark colors absorb heat! Also, choose clothes made with light cotton or linen. These natural fabrics are breathable and better for your skin.

Avoid polyester – they’re less breathable, and since they don’t absorb water, would just leave your shirt sticking to your body. What’s worse? They trap odor.

Also, tank tops are your best friend. But if you’re heading out, consider a loose long sleeve top in cream or white color with a loose weave. They’ll reflect off some of the heat and protect your skin from the scorching sun. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat helps too!

6. Go to the mall/library/cafe/movies

Just face it, sometimes it doesn’t matter how much we keep the shades drawn and the fans blowing at full speed, it’s still so hot we don’t want to budge. Before we reach for the A/C control, consider going out.

Go to the mall, the library, or a cafe. Public places are air-conditioned whether you’re there or not. If you really cannot stand the heat, this is a great way to keep cool without consuming extra energy.

7. Tweak your activities

Most of us do our chores in the day, but when it’s really hot, the physical activity will make us feel even warmer.

Instead of doing things that involve a lot of movement in the day, do something quiet instead. Check your email, watch a movie, read, surf the internet, or even take a nap with a fan nearby. Reserve active activities for when it gets cooler.

Also, avoid baking and deep frying since it’ll heat up your kitchen even more.

8. Adjust your diet

Apart from drinking a lot of water, you can also reduce the heat your body generates by adjusting your diet.

Stay away from heavy, fried food, large meals, and food that’s high in fat, protein and carbohydrate. These will make you feel hotter as your body digests them.

Keep your meals light and easy to digest. Consider food like salads, cold sandwiches, wraps or sushi. Slice up some cold cucumbers for a snack, and put a couple on your face while you’re at it.

Alternatively, you can do what many Asians do – have some spicy food. It’ll make you sweat, and the sweat will cool your skin off. Fair warning though, your stomach will burn.

If you want a dessert, choose sorbet or water ice over ice cream and gelato. Or be good and have a nice plate of chilled fruits instead. Watermelon is the my favorite on a hot day.

Avoid alcohol too – they can dehydrate you and cause your skin to heat up by a process called vasodilation. It may be tempting to reach for the beer… have a seltzer water instead.

9. Create shade

Plant tall plants or small trees, especially on the west and southwestern sides of your house. The shade it provides will help to cool the interior of the house.

If you experience winters, make sure you choose deciduous trees. They’ll shed their leaves fall before winter so the sun can warm up your house in the winter. We don’t want to have to crank up the thermostat in winter too!

10. Plant trees and reduce our carbon footprint

The main reason the temperatures are rising so much so fast is because of our ever increasing carbon emission. The excess carbon dioxide in the environment traps heat and causes global warming.

Planting trees would help to remove more carbon dioxide from the environment, but doing that alone isn’t enough. At the same time, it’s important that we reduce our carbon footprint.

If you’re reading this, you already know that a great way to reduce our carbon footprint is to not run the A/C as often.

---

If the heat is too much…

If you have to use air-conditioning, keep the temperature set at 78⁰F/25⁰C. Of course, the higher you can set it at, the better. For each degree you set above 78 in the summer, you get to save 3 – 8% on your electric bill!

78⁰F seems to be the best compromise between comfort, cost and environment. We’ve been taught that in Singapore too.

If you use central air conditioning and wouldn’t be home for hours, switch the A/C off, or keep it at a much higher temperature. Not only does that reduce your electricity bill, it’ll help your A/C run better and increase its lifespan.

If you use an individual unit, switch it off when you’re not in the room.

To make things easier for you, you can also buy a programmable thermostat.

---

I hope you’ll find these tips to keep cool useful as our days get hotter, as they will. And I hope you’ll enjoy the savings in your electricity bill too!

I hate to be a buzzkill all the time. Who doesn’t want a cool home to chill in in the throes of summer? But we’re at a crucial crossroad here, and a lot of things are at stake.

Hopefully, they’ll succeed in turning our AC units into machines that converts carbon dioxide in the air into hydrocarbon fuel. Hopefully, it’ll be soon.

Until then, enjoy A/C consciously.

Treat A/C as the privilege it is, not as a necessity. Many people in the hottest countries of the world still don’t have access to air-conditioning, and many households in developed nations can’t afford air-conditioning.

Let’s be thankful and appreciate what we have, and use these tips to keep cool responsibly!