How to keep your house cool as temperatures heat up in the Borderland

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- As the temperatures rise, so do our electric bills! 80-degree weather means air conditioning for most folks around the area, but what if there were some ways to keep your house cool without going straight to AC? The good news for you is that there are many ways to keep your house cooler by a few degrees in the year's warm months. Here are some ideas below:

If the weather conditions are not too hot for you, a great way to keep the house cool is by opening up the windows in your home. In the morning and at night, cool fresh air will filter throughout your house, allowing you to breathe in fresher air and stay refreshed on the temperature scale. During the day, it may get a bit warm, but of course, this option totally depends on your cold/warm tolerance.

If you want to avoid turning on the AC for as long as possible, consider buying window shutters or black-out curtains. On warm sunny days, the shutters and curtains will prevent the temperatures from soaring inside your home. That's compared to not having blinds or curtains, which cause the temperatures inside to increase dramatically.

When cooling your home, close the door and vent to any rooms that don't need air conditioning. That should allow more cool air to filter in throughout the rest of the home and rooms that need it more. In addition, you should close any gaps where cold air may be able to seep in, such as the gap under or around a door.

Switching your sheets and pillowcases to cotton can certainly help keep the temperatures down a bit extra. Of course, sipping on an ice cold drink helps too.

Of course, before we see our first 90-100-degree days, it's a great idea to test your swamp coolers and AC units to make sure they are working correctly. If they malfunction, you can fix them before we hit our peak temperature months. Good luck to you all!