It is said that an American household spends close to $500 on electricity bills during summers. With temperatures rising, it’s time to look for alternative and cheaper methods to keep your room cool. Fortunately, we have a few tricks that can help you just that. Check them out.

Improve Your Air Conditioner’s Efficiency

An air conditioner not only cools the room’s air but also gets rid of the humidity. You can improve the AC’s efficiency by turning on vents in the kitchen and the bathroom. Opening the vents will allow humid air to the attic or even outside. Doing so will relieve your AC of doing all the hard work. This practice will also help you reduce your electricity bill by 20%.

Create a Cool Breeze With Ice Cubes

Running a window unit will cost close to $40 every month, while a fan will cost you only $5 each month. But, you can do a simple thing to increase the chill factor. Put some ice cubes in a bowl, sprinkle some salt on the cubes and place this bowl right in front of a fan and wait. The salt will lower the ice cube’s freezing point from 32 degrees to about 20 degrees. This will melt the ice and release cold-water vapor into your room.

Put a Film on the Window

All you have to do is visit a home improvement store and you will find a window film to block UV rays. This is known to reduce the consumption of energy by 30%. You can use an adhesive to ensure that the film stays in place on the window. It will only come off when you’re ready to take it down.

Seal All Leaks

Studies say that you can save about 15% on cooling costs just by filling in gaps around your windows and main doors. You can use spray foam or caulk to block such drafts. But, how will you find such energy leaks? The solution is to walk around the living space holding a candle that is lit. Go closer to windows and doors. If the flame flickers then it means that you have found a draft. Save big and deal with the heat.

Change to LED bulbs

It’s time to replace traditional incandescent bulbs with LED ones. One of the biggest reasons is that LED bulbs use 90% less energy than the traditional ones and also produce much less heat. So, why not make this change that will help you deal with the heat a lot better and easier?

In the photo below, it’s not hard to sense the extraordinary connection Becker has to music.

Everything from her space to her own self cultivates a sense of peace. She keeps her apartment full of colorful plants and memories that celebrate her life, her daughter, and her many joys. And of course, you can’t miss the DJ setup right above shelves filled with vinyl records.

But there’s something else important that she’s also doing: she’s rejecting ageism.

Becker’s Story

Today, Becker is 55 years old. But back in the day, 22-year-old Belinda moved to NYC after graduating from college. She then saw herself writing for magazines like The Rolling Stone. Initially, no one wanted to work with her due to a lack of experience. She was running out of money when fate turned. When she was at a nightclub, a man working there approached her and asked her if she needed a job. She answered positively, with no hesitation.

She started out bussing tables, but there came a day when the DJ of the club didn’t show up. The manager freaked out and asked if anybody could DJ and play music. Belinda then said to the manager that she was not a DJ but she liked music and had records. You can really tell that she was in the right place at the right time. She owned the opportunity by honing her craft through lessons with DJs she knew.

As the years went on, she didn’t let the increasingly young audience of live DJs scare her. She knew that music is what she wanted to be doing. And as the years went on, instead of becoming less relevant, she made it a goal to keep becoming more relevant by staying connected to the communities that she thought could benefit from her the most. The lesson everyone can learn from this is that if you’re open to playing for those who need you the most, instead of just trying to stay on the top, you will always be in business!

Combating Ageism & Even More

Belinda says that she is comfortable in her skin and she had paid her dues. She knows who she is and she can walk confidently. She thinks that life is about major milestones, but life is truly about nuance and subtlety. When you understand this, it can make life so much better and easier. As a woman of color, Belinda rejects not only ageism but racism. She is proud of who she is and where she comes from.