One of the not-so-green compromises we’ve made this summer involves air conditioning use and thermostat setting. While we’ve always used some A/C in summers past, it’s been pretty moderate, and, if the overnight lows seemed somewhat reasonable, we would try to open up and use fans at night, even if it meant slightly warmer than ideal temperatures and not-so-great sleep.
How has a baby changed the A/C use picture? 1) Gabriel (like most babies, I think) likes to sleep cuddled up in a blanket. We have a very light gauzy blanket so he can have that secure, cozy feeling without adding too much warmth, but it is still a consideration when we’re setting the thermostat. 2) Windows open at night mean outside noise coming in at night and increased chance of night wakings that we have to deal with. Enough said. 3) Tired parents need a good night’s sleep, not the restless, tossing and turning nights from a slightly-too-warm room.
Anyway, we’ve finally had a real break from the intense heat that’s been hanging around since, oh, forever. The cooler temps provided the first opportunity to open the windows in our new place. I’m typing this with a nice cool breeze blowing through the window, and it’s a fabulous feeling.
We enjoyed two nights where it cooled off early enough to have windows open overnight. To address the outside noise dilemma, we opened all of the windows EXCEPT those in Gabriel’s room and ran the fan on the HVAC system to circulate the air into his room.
Another solution, though we don’t have it set up yet, is a window A/C unit in Gabriel’s room. That would allow us to keep just his room slightly cooler (and quieter). We have the window unit, courtesy of my mother-in-law, but we haven’t figured out a way to seal up the space between the unit and the window frame that we’re happy with, so that option remains untested.
Realistically, I know there will be more A/C days than not before summer finally releases its grip on Saint Louis, but for now, I’m thoroughly enjoying our reprieve.
Her Green Life 