Taking steps to maintain a cooler indoor temperature is beneficial whether you have AC or not. If you don’t have AC, then these strategies can help make your space livable, even in blistering weather. If you do have AC, then you may be able to save on your energy bill by supplementing its cooling efforts. Either way, here is how you can beat the heat.

Keep Your Windows and Curtains Closed

Heat and sunlight coming in through the windows is the main culprit behind soaring indoor temperatures. So, the easiest way to keep your home cooler is to keep the windows closed and the curtains drawn during the sunniest and hottest part of the day. Blinds are particularly important for south-facing windows as this is where most of the sunlight will come in.

Once the sun is lower and the temperatures drop, you can open up your windows to let the cooler air circulate.

Try Not to Use the Oven or Stovetop

Cooking on the stovetop and especially in the oven will release excess heat into your home, making it feel even hotter. Try to plan meals that don’t require you to turn either of them on, like a refreshing and nutritious salad. Better yet, why not head outside and fire up the grill for more of your summertime lunches and dinners instead?

Run Larger Appliances in the Evening

While they won’t add as much heat as an oven, other large appliances, like your dishwasher, washer, and especially the dryer, can increase the temperature inside of your home as well. Do your best to avoid running these appliances during the daytime and try to save everything for the evening instead. If you are an early riser, doing your laundry early in the morning may be a good option as well.

Improve Your Home Insulation

Upgrading the insulation inside of your home is often recommended for saving on heating costs over the winter. It is also a highly effective strategy for keeping cool air inside and cold air outside over the summer. As far as home improvement projects go, new insulation offers great bang for your buck.

Other easy ways to improve the insulation of your home include adding weatherstripping around doors and windows and applying a window film to your windows as well. Anything that prevents air exchange will make your home more efficient.

Swap Out Any Incandescent Light Bulbs

If you still have incandescent light bulbs inside of your home, then use the coming summer heat as motivation to swap them out for a more efficient alternative, like CFLs or LEDs. Incandescent bulbs waste most of their energy–around 90% of it, in fact–by emitting it as heat. Not only will this warm up your home, but it will eat into your energy bill as well.

Start planning for the soaring temperatures now, and you will thank yourself later. By taking these simple measures, you will be able to enjoy a more comfortable home and see some savings on your energy bill as well.