Tenant sparks conversation on how to cool down sweltering room without AC: 'I didn't consider that'

A Redditor has been trying hard to keep their rented home cool without breaking the bank. They checked in with r/Frugal for some advice on options. 

They explained that they live on the second floor of a 100-year-old house. The apartment has three awning windows that open out and upward. The roof has a lot of sun exposure, which causes the room and the crawl space to heat up a lot. Meanwhile, the resident is trying to keep the temperature down around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. 

"Asking the landlord to take care of this is not an option as this is a ME problem," prefaced the original poster. "I also have several electronics in my room that produce heat as waste."

The scoop

After running through a few options, ranging from fully replacing sun-exposed windows to running a few extra fans, one community solution was voted to the top. 

"What about having awnings installed over your awning windows?" said one reader. "One of the best ways to reduce heat from sunlight is to block it from entering the window in the first place."

"I didn't consider that exactly," replied the original poster. "Two of the three awning windows are about three feet from the neighboring house. The other one is sun exposed."

How it's helping

Awnings are a popular option for south-facing windows. These exterior shades block the sun when it's at its highest, while allowing it in when the sun is low and the heat is needed. 

Keeping your home cool during the summer months can help save a lot on air conditioning bills. With a few simple upgrades, like solar shades and upgraded window stripping, it's possible to keep the home comfortable without spending a load of money. 

Best of all, these measures reduce home energy usage. Since so much of the power on the electrical grid comes from polluting dirty energy sources, ensuring you don't have to run air conditioning nonstop over the summer also helps out the environment. 

What everyone's saying

Reddit commenters had a wide range of home weatherizing suggestions. 

Do you think your home has good insulation? Definitely 💯 It's just all right 👍 It's good in some rooms 🤷 Not at all 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"For a portable AC unit you need to make sure it has Dual hoses. This is necessary," said one community member. "They suck without it. Without it you are losing a lot of cooling and will help [your] problem with limited power."

"Electric rollup window blinds, will block the majority of heat at hottest parts of the day," they added.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.