Air conditioning is great for keeping a house cool, but it isn't the only answer for cooling a home. For one thing, many homes are not equipped with central air conditioning. Installing a new central A/C system is a major improvement that typically costs anywhere from about $8000 to $20,000 or more. As an alternative, many homeowners utilize room air conditioners, but these can be very expensive to operate on a regular basis and require a robust electrical system in the home.

So what can you do if you live where summer temperatures are scorching and your home doesn't have air conditioning--or if it is just too expensive to run your air conditioner? There are several tried-and-true techniques that can help you cool down your house to eliminate the need for A/C or reduce the strain on your air conditioning system.

Some of these are immediate and inexpensive, while others require a bit of time and investment. Examples of measures you can take include reducing heat transfer through the walls with proper insulation, installing foil barriers in the attic, utilizing heat-reflecting film on windows, sheltering the house from direct sun, operating fans to circulate the air, and monitoring temperatures with state-of-the-art thermostats. The articles listed below delve into these and other techniques that you can use to cool your home naturally.