Louisiana Beat the Record Heat – 12 Ways to Assist Your A/C

I think in Louisiana we have suddenly developed a fear of large numbers. Okay, that Louisiana fear should be qualified this way, we fear high numbers on thermometers and we fear even higher numbers on our power bills. Unfortunately, no one in Louisiana is going to be able to avoid those big numbers in both of those places at least for the next several weeks, or maybe even months.

The National Weather Service has put us all on notice, this week is going to be brutal and perhaps historic. I guess if we break an all-time temperature record we can tell our grandkids that we were there, but the truth is none of us really want to be in the midst of an afternoon temperature that's 107 degrees.

And no, that's not the forecast heat index, that is the actual air temperature forecast for much of the I-10 corridor on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. If you want to see just how brutal it's going to be, take a look at the graphic below from the National Weather Service Office in Lake Charles. 

The only saving grace in the forecast for the next few days is a slight risk of afternoon showers or thunderstorms. But those bring their own set of dangers. Namely, there is a risk of being struck by lightning if you find yourself out in the open during a storm. And with all the very dry conditions in the area, a lightning strike could start a fire that might be very difficult to control.

But let's talk about the heat, that's our main protagonist this week. The best way to beat the heat is to not be out in it. And if you do have to be out in it you need to limit your time.

Air conditioning is the saving grace for most of us. Without the A/C life in Louisiana might be hard to survive, but we have the technology. But, technology can only do so much. It's kind of a rule of thumb that the A/C can only keep you about 20 to 25 degrees cooler than the outside air temperature. And that's if your property is well insulated and your A/C unit is running properly.

And naturally running the air conditioner non-stop means a big spike in your power bill too. So, it's a double-edged sword. You can stay cool and be poor for Christmas or you can be miserable in the heat and probably still be poor for Christmas. Now, if you want to avoid paying a mega-whopper of a power bill and still be reasonably comfortable, you're going to need to help your air conditioner do its job.

Here are 12 really easy steps you could take today, this afternoon when you get home or get done over a weekend. They do make a difference in how efficiently your unit cools your home and how long the cool air stays in your home.