Get creative to beat the heat and you’ll save money, too.
We were having a tropical heat wave just as I left Canada for two weeks in Florida. And when I got here, no surprise, I found more of the same. Topmost on everyone’s mind in this swelter is how to stay cool.
But I, being of a financial orientation, am also interested in how to stay cool while saving a bit of money. We still have the dog days of August to come and the Farmer’s Alamanac tells me that most of Canada is going to be hotter than normal.
With homes increasingly being forced on to smart meters for electical usage, air conditioning is going to be even more expensive if you run it during both peak and mid-peak hours.
It’s all fine if you’re rich or work 9 to 5 with no one in the house during the day. Not so great if you work from home, are a stay-at-home parent or have kids or elderly parents trying to stay cool during peak hours.
Here are eight cheap Beat the Heat suggestions from steamy Florida:
- Keep shades drawn all day and open them and windows at night
- Keep a towel in the freezer to wrap around your neck
- Put a bowl of ice in front of a fan
- Roll up floor rugs to expose cooler floor surfaces
- Take a quick cool shower before bed
- Spritz yourself with a fine water spray
- Even with a balcony or tiny yard, lolling in a small blowup pool is very cooling
- Strip. Really! Buck naked
Alison Griffiths’ show Maxed Out appears Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. on W Network. You can find out more at: alisongriffiths.ca
