As environmentally conscious as I try to be, I’ve definitely got my faults. One is using too much air conditioning in the hot weather. We’ve been having heat advisories for the past few days, and I’m not sure if our air has kicked off at all. Sure, I have to keep my little girl cool, and being hot makes me super uncomfortable, but there are alternatives to use whenever the weather isn’t this unbearable every day. Here are ten alternatives that we all could try to cut down on our energy use this summer.

10. Open the Windows

This one is easy enough to do, if there is a nice breeze going on. Unfortunately for us, the only room that cools off if we do this is the living room; the rest of the windows don’t receive much of any breeze. So if we’re having a rare family evening, we can pretty much do this. If not, well, we’ll have to look toward another option!

9. Strategically Place Your Fans

If you can’t get a breeze going the way you’d like, perhaps you can make one with some electric fans. Place small fans all around your work station, at your desk, or at your bed, and use larger fans near windows. Ceiling fans can also help circulate air. Unfortunately, this is still using energy; though it is an improvement, at only 30% of the power of the air conditioning. There are some other ways to cool off without using power.

8. Shut Out the Sun

How our ancestors would shudder at this suggestion! They relied on the sun for everything and mourned it when it was gone during the cold winter months. Of course, the world has gotten hotter now—not to mention we live in an age of convenience—so we often take it for granted. By keeping our homes shut, the curtains drawn, and making sure everything is well insulated, after it’s been cooled off we can often keep that coolness in without having the sun replace it with heat. This works especially well at night, when it typically gets colder.

7. Get Wet

Wear wet clothes, take a cool shower, or simply dunk your head in the sink every now and then to keep your hair wet if you can. (This one is especially helpful to people with short hair.)

6. Paint Your Home a Lighter Color

Lighter colors reflect the heat, making sure that your home doesn’t absorb unnecessary amounts of heat. You can also put up reflective shades to deflect some of the heat as well.