How To Survive A Brazos Valley Blackout

It’s hard enough to survive the blistering heat of a Texas summer, but now we have to worry about possible blackouts in our area! We can all agree that we depend on our AC systems to keep us safe and cool during the summer, so how do we stay cool without electricity?

Luckily, Barker’s Heating & Cooling has the expertise and creativity to come up with alternative cooling methods for you and your home. As long as you try some of the tricks we advise, your blackout experience should pass smoothly. Whether you are without electricity for a few hours or a few days, we want you to be prepared!

Keeping Cool During A Blackout

The moment the power goes out — either controlled by the city or not — your home will begin to heat up. It’s important to implement some simple cooling techniques as soon as possible instead of waiting until your home begins to feel uncomfortable.

Change Into Thin Clothes

With your icy AC powered down, you’ll need to switch to light, comfortable clothing. Shorts, tank tops, swimsuits and other clothing items that are minimal and allow airflow are the best options. Removing as much of this layer on your skin as possible will allow the air that is moving around your house to feel cooler. Plus, your body will have an easier time regulating your internal temperature.

Use Water’s Cooling Properties

Your skin needs to release heat to cool your body. One of the best ways to speed up this process is using water to cool your skin down. You can soak a bandana or cloth to dampen your face, wet your hair and let it air dry or mist yourself with a spray bottle. All of these ideas are great uses of water and will keep you comfortable until the power is restored.

Limit Solar Heat 

With the AC not working, the air being circulated around your home will get warmer and warmer as time passes. Allowing solar heat to warm that air only speeds up that heating process — and makes you more uncomfortable quicker. Try to block the light from outside as much as you can by covering your windows with curtains, blinds or sheets. This may make your home feel dark and closed in, but it will significantly help your home remain cool for longer.

How To Avoid Heat During A Blackout

Without the constant production of cool air, you’ll notice that just about everything you do in your home creates some amount of heat. Here are some of the key things to avoid during a blackout to limit your heat production.

Cooking

You may still want to cook your food — although we recommend eating cold or room temperature items — if you have a camp stove or other means of cooking without electricity. Don’t use any appliances inside. Only cook food on your porch or outside to keep the heat away from your cool air.

Eating

Clearly you still need to eat during a blackout to remain healthy and safe. However, you should think carefully about what you are eating. Hot or spicy foods are not a great idea if you are trying to stay as cool as possible. Also, when you eat, your body begins to digest your food. This process creates heat inside your body. Try to avoid eating large amounts of food during the heat of the day to give your body a chance at fighting off the heat.

Going Upstairs

Heat rises. This means that your upstairs bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas will be the worst place to be during a blackout. Collect the items you may need from upstairs and stick to the downstairs rooms as much as you can. Some people have even been known to bring their mattress downstairs if they are facing multiple days with no electricity.

Your AC May Need Repairs After A Blackout

As mucha s we’d love your AC to finally turn on and run perfectly once the power is restored, that may not be the case. Large surges in electricity commonly damage AC units, so you may need AC repairs to get your home cool again. Barker’s Heating & Cooling is ready to come help you as soon as we can. Contact us for expert AC repairs today!