We've tried several different ways to cut the desert heat out, especially during our Summer months. Our mobile home came with venetian blinds. First, we put awnings up over our windows facing the West. It helped, but not to the amount we wanted. Second, we put up solar screens on all of our windows. This, too, helped some, but not to our liking.
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In part of my home, I have drapes, sheers, and room darkening blinds too. I try to keep them closed as much as possible in the summer to help keep the heat out.
One thing I read at this site to save money in the winter, is to buy some white fleece, cut it the size of your windows, and tack it up to help keep the heat in and the cold out. I couldn't find white fleece anywhere, but went to Wal-mart and bought some cheap, off white blankets. I got several window coverings out of each.
This spring, I started to take them down, but thought that I'd see if they'd help keep the searing summer heat out. To my amazement, they help so much. Hanging up, they're opaque, allowing light to filter through, so my house doesn't look like a dungeon. On windows we use a lot, I just cut the blanket to cover the top part of our double hung windows. On other windows, I cut them 3/4 of the way. On windows we don't use, I cut them full length. They give lots of flexibility, and paid for themselves within the first couple of months.
When I lived in Phoenix, AZ, we'd keep the blinds and curtains closed all day and turn the room lights on, just to block out excess sunlight and warmth in the summer.
Wow, does that remind me of our stinging elec. bills
this year. However, since our home was built with few windows and no skylights anyway, we, too, live for the most part in near darkness, trying to conserve. I hope to be able to afford florescent bulbs one day soon, although I don't care for their light too much.
I found double insulated drapes for both patio doors which are N. facing, and open them only during the mornings and late evenings because there's no bright sun then.
We staunchly turn off lights as we leave one room, using only one-bulb fixtures when we use lights.
I use night-lights for pathways, and daylight only
Having said all of this, my bills are STILL WAY TOO
HIGH, so I realize now the a/c must be turned up to above 80, tiny fans used where we sit/work, off when we leave, and LOTS of water consumed to survive.
Washing/drying is the next expense we will get a handle on ASAP. I'm strongly considering issuing a SINGLE cup and utensils, towel and set of clothing to my grandson each day, since he gets too busy,excited, runs in/out all day after homeschool, and then work on his bad habit of dropping clothes on the dustmite ridden floor.
He still wets the bed, so linens get dried out and used twice before washing. We use hot water only
to wash dishes once a day, bathe twice a week, then
recycle the water to the outside.
No one will EVER convince me that it takes that much money to get utilities to large urban
neighborhoods. I believe this is MORE of the govt. effort to control people, dumb us down to make us
VERY soon, our area will be cool enough to use NO
elec. for a/c, not cool enough for gas heat, so we
will, MORE than ever before, open a few windows in the early morn/late eve. and use NO utilities.
I just collected two new garbage cans of roof water
that dripped all day from a misting rain. I then dumped it out under our trees on barren soil.
God Bless
I do not live in the desert. However, I do live in a humid area my apt. has lots of windows and the blazing sun in the summer comes through. It was difficult to cool the room affordably.
I covered all of my windows with black out curtains that was amazing. It really worked. I have them on all of my windows except for the kitchen. In the bedroom I hung black out window shades under the blackout curtains. That was the side of the apt. where the evening sun would come in. It made a world of difference.
I bought my first pair of blackout curtains at walmart and the restIi bought at penny's and online. I realize that these are not necessarily cheap they make the rooms so much more comfortable and I do notice a difference in the electric bills in the summer.
Hope this helps guys, nunley10
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