I hear alot about how to keep warm during the cold months, but where I live, I worry more about keeping cool during the hotter months. If there is no electic, how do you keep cool, your home cool, etc? Any ideas here?

I can't take the heat, so I understand what you are talking about. I think that if you have a basement, you could go down there, as it's usually cooler. Another thing that we did when we were kids and didn't have AC, was to soak our feet in cool water, put cool cloths on our necks and heads. If you are lucky enough to have a fan, you could put a cool cloth in front of it. In the old days in the south, I read that they put wet sheets up in front of the windows and doors to catch breezes.
If you are desperate, you could dig into the ground and sit in that, or find a cool brook or pond. Misting yourself with a spray bottle also helps.

awandjw wrote:If there is no electic, how do you keep cool, your home cool, etc? Any ideas here?

Build as much shade around your home as possible, Dead leaves on your roof or old blankets around your house. SHADE is the key.

Having windows toward the tops of the walls, or vents toward the top of the house will help too. Lets the hot air out during the night.

I personally wouldn't recommend dead leaves on the roof, especially if they collect in the guttering, as they'd present an immediate fire hazard.

Plenty of shade around the house is a good idea. If possible, erect a 'shadehouse' on the northern side of your dwelling, with both ends open to create a breezeway, and fill it with lots of broad-leafed plants. (These absorb heat during the day.) Adding a series of small cascading ponds, (which can be used to recycle grey-water for use on garden beds and to refill the cisterns of flush toilets), will also add to the cooling.

Another idea, in lieu of the plants which may take time to grow, is to hang broad lengths of hessian in the shadehouse, with the bottom edge in a trough of water, or in the pond system. The hessian will act like a wick, bringing the water up, and any breeze blowing through will turn the shadehouse into a giant evaporative cooling system.

A 6" pipe, preferably clay, can be buried in the ground and run from the shadehouse to your pantry, and will greatly assist in keeping it cool. If the air is piped to the back of your refrigerator it will increase the fridge's efficiency.

I can describe this system it in more detail if you're interested, as I have designed the same for my planned mud-brick farmhouse.
(Just waiting for a lottery win to begin construction. )

large porch overhangs that help keep the sun out (all goes to the shade thing) Make sure the house is well vented in the roof to let out the heat and well insulated.

Btty powered fans used with open windows to create a cross breeze,
cook outside on a grill etc
a chunck of dry ice thrown into a tub of water will cool a room as well (good for short term lack of elec)

adjust your work habits, as it is hottest during the summer when the day s are longer, get up early and work until noon etc when it gets real hot reat until late afternoon adn then go back to work until dark.

"Adjust your work habits........"

Yup, Just love those afternoon siestas.

if possible, build a sun shade over the house. this is a framework with either solid sheeting or some sort of shade cloth (like is used in plant nurseries) that blocks part or all of the sun from hitting your house. make sure there is an air space between it and your roof to allow the heat to blow out.

Bidadisndat wrote:"Adjust your work habits........"

Yup, Just love those afternoon siestas.

you know it. In a previous life I oversaw a plant in Mexico, that is a story in itself, but that was one of the ings we did there 2.5 hour lunch 12-2:30 but you work them until 7

Keep the house closed as long as possible, insulate areas where heat is "gained". Insulate and reflectorize (foil) windows.
Open lowest point in hoiuse, and highest point, so it creates a chimney effect, drawing cooler air in and letting heated air out.
Ventilate the roof/attic. This can drop the overall house temp a significant amount. Either a end gable vent or several roof vents. Check total cost of each system. If your shingles curl on the corners, you NEED to do this STAT.
If you are in a dry climate (low humidity), put on a damp t-shirt, and let is dry in a breeze. That will cool you.