What to Do if Your Apartment Lacks Air Conditioning

Depending on where you’re based, rental properties may not need to include air conditioning in order to be considered habitable. So, while a fair number of modern apartments have some form of AC, many do not. If you reside in an apartment that lacks air conditioning, getting through the summer in comfort is liable to seem like an uphill battle. Fortunately, while AC is arguably the most effective tool for cooling off homes, it’s far from the only one. Apartment residents looking for effective ways to stay cool this summer without relying on air conditioning will be well-served by the following measures.

Don’t Use Your Oven During the Day 

Oven use can heat up both your kitchen and any areas in the immediate vicinity. This additional heat can provide a little bit of comfort during the frigid winter months, but over the summer, it stands to turn your residence into a sauna. Oven use can be felt particularly hard in apartments, given their comparatively compact design. So, if you’re not crazy about the idea of a relentlessly hot apartment, you’d do well to place strict limits on oven use throughout the summer months. 

For starters, make an effort to avoid using the oven during the sun’s peak hours – and preferably when the sun is out, period. For those of us who enjoy cooking, being unable to use the oven may seem like an unreasonable request, but after a week or two of experimenting with oven-less recipes, limited oven use is liable to seem a lot less daunting. This isn’t to say that you can never use your oven during the summer, but if you choose to, take care to do so after the sun has gone down.

Use Your Ceiling Fans to Their Fullest Potential 

Even with AC, dependable ceiling fans can prove beneficial to home cooling efforts. In the absence of air conditioning, however, they are downright essential. Not only can high-quality ceiling fans efficiently circulate air throughout your apartment, they can also produce cooling breezes – provided their blades have been adjusted to turn counterclockwise. Additionally, if the temperatures in your area tend to drop during the overnight hours, simply open some windows once the sun goes down and use your fans to take advantage of the naturally cool air.

If the ceiling fans that came with your apartment aren’t quite up to snuff, talk to your landlord about having them replaced. In most cases, this type of task should be the landlord’s responsibility, but depending on the terms of your lease, this may not be the case. Considering how many types of ceiling fans are currently available, you should have no problem finding modern ceiling fans that are perfectly suited to your apartment.     

Keep Your Blinds Closed During the Day 

In the interest of maintaining a comfortably cool temperature inside your apartment, take care to leave your blinds closed during the sun’s peak hours. Although the sun can be a great source of natural lighting, excessive sunlight stands to contribute to uncomfortably warm indoor temps. If your apartment is located in a spot that receives a large amount of sun, regular curtains and blinds may not be enough to fully keep sunlight at bay. Should this prove to be the case, blackout curtains and/or blackout screens are sure to be a worthwhile investment. 

In addition to helping sunlight to a minimum, some varieties of blackout curtains can also seal in cool air and filter out outside noise. Needless to say, if you live in an area with a large amount of traffic and/or foot traffic, this can prove tremendously helpful. Additionally, those of us who keep unconventional sleep schedules are sure to appreciate being able to slumber in total darkness during the daylight hours. 

Enduring a relentlessly hot summer in an apartment that lacks AC can be a true test of endurance. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’ll need to accept being uncomfortably warm all summer long. While effectively cooling an apartment without air conditioning may seem like an arduous undertaking, it’s hardly impossible. Turning your apartment into a refreshing sanctuary from the intense summer heat is much easier than you may think. Anyone on the hunt for simple, convenient apartment cooling methods should take the previously discussed pointers to heart.