AC Alternatives: Eco-Friendly Ways to Cool Your Home

Posted on: Jun 26, 2024 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

AC Alternatives: Eco-Friendly Ways to Cool Your Home

Life gets very tough in India during summer, with temperatures ranging at a cruel 40⁰ Celsius + level for several months across a large part of India. Air conditioners do offer a respite, but besides being a costly option, they create a double burden on our environment.

Most conventional air conditioning equipment uses greenhouse gases as refrigerants, contributing to global warming. In addition, AC machines require high electrical energy to run, which is sourced mainly from fossil fuels. Let's explore all the AC alternatives that you can consider to keep your house cool.

Does Air-conditioning affect our Health?

Air conditioning can have several potential effects on our health. It can increase the suffering of individuals with a history of respiratory diseases. Cool and dry air can cause throat disorders, coughs, and headaches for some. Accumulated dust can increase allergic conditions. If not maintained properly, the filter inside an AC machine can harbour bacteria and viruses, a potential source of infectious diseases.

If you have AC in your house, it is advisable to get a home insurance policy too. The policy safeguards all the contents of your house, thereby protecting against any significant financial damage that may arise.

Safe Air-Conditioner Alternatives to Keep Your Room Cool

People in India have been practising several traditional methods to escape the oppressive heat; these methods provide relief by managing the environment and not by reducing the temperature. Some of the most effective AC alternatives are as follows:

• Blocking direct Sunlight

Using curtains to block direct sunlight can help significantly lower the heat impact. Light-coloured curtains made of breathable fabrics like cotton and linen can facilitate better circulation within the room.

• Letting in fresh air

Even in high summer, the morning and evening air is relatively cooler. Keeping the windows open to let in the fresh air helps keep the room comfortable. Although not exactly like AC, this is one of the convenient air conditioning alternatives that can help to lower the costs significantly.

• Ceiling fans

The most popular solution for air circulation inside the room, fans facilitate the downward movement of air and help displace the warmer air around you. Similarly, exhaust fans help remove hot air from kitchens and bathrooms.

• Using Ice to Cool the Room

When you keep a bucket of ice or cold water in the room, use it with a fan to drive away the hot air as an effective AC alternative.

• Utilizing the floor

Inside a room, the cooler air tends to be on the lower side, making the floor cooler than the rest of the room. You can sleep or lie down on a mattress on the floor.

In addition, unconventional house-building techniques like using hollow bricks and mud layering help keep your house cool. Simultaneously, you must protect your house with a suitable property insurance policy.

• Swamp Coolers

Swamp coolers are great AC alternatives. These are often referred to as evaporative coolers and function better than traditional air conditioners, especially in semi-arid and arid regions. Comparatively, these have numerous benefits, including lower upfront and running costs, reduced energy consumption, and greater eco-friendliness. These do not have any harmful refrigerants, which contribute to sustainability. However, it does have its limitations, especially if you're using these in humid climates.

• Whole House Attic Fans

If you're looking for convenient air conditioning alternatives in India, consider whole-house fans. You can use these mostly during nighttime or evening to draw the cooler air from outside indoors and then expel the warm air from the house to outdoors. The whole house attic fans will be functional only if you're using them when the outside temperature is cooler compared to the interior. This can help reduce the cooling costs. As these fans draw cooler air from outside, it can lower the temperature inside the house.

Leading insurers like HDFC ERGO offer attractive home insurance plans ideally suited for your incredible home!

Conclusion

Mastering the traditional methods of cooling your room may take some time, but the effect will be positive for your health and the environment—and in the end, you will have a cooler room, too. If you are using these to cool the interiors, it is advisable to adjust the interiors of your house too. Comparatively, these alternatives are a great addition to the house and help to save costs significantly, too.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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