apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ahh, what a fabulous childhood memory!

In another Amelia Bedialia book, she was asked to run over a tablecloth with an iron, so she brought the tablecloth out to the yard and ran all over it whilst holding an iron.

8^)

Oops. No spellcheck. "Bedelia".

Or just turn the a/c up, because if you live in a super-humid climate, turning it off entirely can leave your house feeling very hot and damp and it can damage books, etc.

If I turned the a/c off in North Carolina in July, when I got home, it would need to run the fan constantly for hours to even get the house back to a de-humidified and comfortable temperature.

Of course I am sensitive to the conservation of energy, but I've been told it's a very non-efficient way for the unit (mine is whole-house forced air) to run; keeping it on (at, say, 78 degrees) while away will help it run more effectively and prolong its life.

That might not true for every climate, though. The drier areas might be fine. And I do love the memory of the Amelia Bedelia books.

Alitris, I had always wondered about this. It seems that it would use up more energy to bring your home's temperature back down after a hot day than to just keep it running all day on a low-setting. I live in Virginia and its absolutely suffocating to be in homes without AC unless fans are running on high 24/7

In the deep humidity of July/Aug in NYC, I run my A/C all day and night at 79 degrees on the Energy Saver option (which lets the A/C not run, or run on fan, depending on the temp) as well as run a small regular fan inside to keep the air circulating. I admit, I do it for my dog's comfort... **oops**... But it does help keep the little apt at a very comfortable temp. I don't turn it to a cooler temp at all when I'm home.

Keeping the curtains drawn is a great way to reduce your energy bill. In my home I have sheer curtains as shown in the photograph at the top of the post. Under those sheers I have mini blinds, which I don't care for, but lowering those during the day goes much further in keeping my house cool in the summer. Of course, if you have heavy drapes you will get nearly the same effect.

BlindFINDER.com
"All you could ever want to know about window treatments"

summerinbrooklyn- yikes 79! I'm in Texas and we keep it at 81 degrees and my fur babies are quite okay with the temp.

I love looking at sheer curtains billowing in the moving air on spring or summer days. I think somehow they bring movement and serenity to a room at the same time. I even made a video of this in a hotel in the Netherlands a few years ago. I guess I'm just a bit weird....

witchbaby - My cats would scoff at 79! They prefer around 74 degrees on most days. spoiled? Oh yes.

alitris, i am with you. too hot in virginia for no air during the day -- home or not!

and daniel -- i love the curtains' movement, too!

Hear hear, for spoiled kitties. Mine are subjected cruelly to 80 degrees while I'm at work, but can go down into a nice cool dry basement (cat heaven, spiders and all) if they wish.

Amelia Bedelia is the reason Bruce Willis is my Dad ;)