Don't Just Turn Up The AC, Try This Cheaper Solution Instead

Summer 2026 is proving to be rather toasty in the Northern Hemisphere, with record-breaking heatwaves in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere making life uncomfortable for hundreds of millions of people. There are some bizarre ideas for cooling your home in a heatwave, but if you have an air conditioner (AC), it's a fairly easy way to cool a room down so that your body isn't under heat stress at all times. However, air conditioning can be costly due to the large amount of electricity required, and of course the longer it runs, the higher your electricity bill will be. 

The good news is that with the help of a fan, it's possible to reduce the amount of energy used by an air conditioner. It's important to know that an electric fan, or any type of fan for that matter, doesn't actually cool a space down. But it can make you feel cooler as the fan moves air over your skin, helping sweat evaporate more quickly. If your room is uncomfortably hot, you can exploit this windchill effect to stay cool and save money.

If you have an AC unit but no electric fan, you're relying solely on the machine to lower the temperature and remove humidity from your room, and that usually works just fine. But if you have an electric fan running at the same time, the moving air that's blowing over your body creates a cooling sensation known as the windchill effect. 

This can make you feel more comfortable even though the room temperature hasn't changed. Through trial and error, you should be able to arrive at a comfortable setting with the AC, and you might find that it's several degrees higher than if you weren't using the fan. With the air conditioner not working as hard, your electricity bill won't rack up as quickly. 

An air conditioner uses a compressor and refrigerant to remove heat from the air and lower the room temperature, which requires significant energy. A fan, on the other hand, is a much simpler device that only needs an electric motor to spin its blades and move air, and so uses less electricity. As the moving air passes across your skin, it helps your body release heat by evaporating sweat more quickly.

Of course, not everyone has an AC at home. If not, trying to sleep in a bedroom that's been heating up through the day, for example, can be a challenge. But with an electric fan, there's something you can do before bedtime that could cool the room by several degrees. It involves pointing the fan out of an open window in one room, while opening doors and windows in other parts of the home. Doing so can push warm air out while drawing cooler air in. 

This works best when the temperature outside is lower than indoors, and when the fan is placed about two feet from the open window. If there's a strong breeze outside, simply opening a few windows should create the necessary airflow without needing a fan. It's also a good idea to try and stop heat from entering your home in the first place. For the best results, try closing blinds or curtains on windows where sunlight is flooding in. 

Using reflective shades and keeping windows closed during the hottest parts of the day can also help with this. Then, when outdoor temperatures drop later in the day, open windows and use fans to circulate cooler air and flush out that built-up heat. If you're looking for more solutions, these wearable cooling devices might be worth a look, though there are plenty of other useful gadgets for the summer heat.