How to Stay Cool

By Heather

I was joking today that summer in the Bay Area means wool sweaters and flip flops. Most of our homes near San Francisco don’t have air conditioning and we don’t miss it. Heck, we’re just hoping we don’t have to turn on the furnace on the foggy days.

For those of you enjoying the heat of “Real Summer,” I offer you a few tips on staying cool (and saving energy):

1. Change your air conditioning filter. The simple steps you take to change your filter will improve indoor air quality and help your air conditioner run easier.

2. Hit the movies. Nothing beats hiding in the mall or movie theater to take advantage of free public air conditioning.

3. Visit a water park. Not a movie kind of day? Hit the water at your local pool, beach or water park to get soaking wet and stay cool. Not low energy enough for you?

4. Turn on the sprinklers or bust out the kiddie pool. Any kind of water play should be carefully supervised, but the kind in your backyard offers the lazy parent option.