HVACU.S. household guidance

Household heat planning

Reviewed and updated October 21, 2026

Keeping Your House Cool Without AC: Shade, Fans, and a Cooler Place

If heat may be unsafeIf someone is unwell or you think the home is unsafe in the heat, prioritize getting to a safer cooled place if possible and seek local medical or emergency help. Do not wait to try household cooling steps.

If someone is unwell or you think the home is unsafe in the heat, prioritize getting to a safer cooled place if possible and seek local medical or emergency help. Do not wait to try household cooling steps. If there is no immediate danger, close summer draperies on windows receiving direct sunlight to limit heat gain. Follow CDC’s indoor fan guidance below. DOE explains that fans cool people, not rooms. If you have no AC installed or it is unavailable, plan where you can go for air conditioning. These household steps do not diagnose why cooling is unavailable.

Household choices when AC is unavailable

Shade, fans and a reachable cooler place

Limit direct summer sun

The U.S. Department of Energy’s 2022 Energy Saver guide advises closing draperies during summer days on windows receiving direct sunlight. This limits solar heat gain; it does not promise a particular indoor temperature.

Follow the fan condition carefully

CDC’s heat guidance says to use an indoor fan only when the temperature is below 90°F; above 90°F, a fan can increase body temperature. At exactly 90°F, choose another cooling option rather than assuming the below-90 advice covers that reading. A fan moves air around a person; it does not cool the room. Below 90°F is not a guarantee that a room is safe.

Plan an air-conditioned place you can reach

CDC advises using air conditioning or finding a location that has it, and lists 2-1-1, state cooling-center resources, and local health or emergency-management agencies as starting points. Contact a resource before setting out to confirm current hours, entry requirements, and access. Check how you would get there. Write down a first choice, a backup, who can confirm the location is open, and who can help with transportation. Recheck before leaving. Before conditions feel urgent, share the plan with someone who can help. Agree what you will do if the first location is closed or the ride falls through, and how you will check in after reaching the destination. When planning with another person, ask what access or transportation help they need rather than guessing.

If you are helping someone else

Agree who will check in, when, and how the person can ask for help. CDC particularly highlights people with chronic illness and those living alone. Identify a primary and backup air-conditioned destination and who can help with transportation; confirm both before they are needed.

Check local conditions

Check local HeatRisk and air quality before planning outdoor activity. CDC’s advice about shade, breaks, and cooler times applies when local HeatRisk is red or higher. Recheck local information when plans change.

Move from information to action

Plan the next safe step

Professional help

Use this guide to prepare for a qualified local professional.

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Check licensing, service area, schedule, scope and written estimate directly with professionals you consider.

Sources and boundaries

What supports this guide?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health — About Heat and Your HealthConditional indoor-fan guidance, air-conditioned-location resource routes, local HeatRisk and air-quality checks, and check-ins for people at greater risk. No personal medical or home-safety assessment. Scope: national. Source checked 2026-10-21.
U.S. Department of Energy — Energy Saver guide (2022 edition)Summer daytime drapery advice for windows receiving direct sunlight. No promised temperature reduction or installation recommendation. Scope: national. Source checked 2026-10-21.
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver — Energy Saver 101: Everything You Need to Know About Home Cooling (HomeCooling101 infographic)Only the conceptual distinction that fans cool people rather than rooms; current CDC heat-safety guidance takes precedence. No infographic artwork or dated equipment advice is reproduced. Scope: national. Source checked 2026-10-21.

Sources and limits

Sources: CDC, About Heat and Your Health (displayed July 20, 2026; “Stay Cool,” local HeatRisk/Air Quality, and high-risk sections); DOE, Energy Saver guide (2022 edition, “Warm Weather Window Tips,” printed page 23/PDF page 27); DOE, Home Cooling 101 infographic (2016, “Ventilation” section). Linking does not imply agency endorsement.

CDC information is available free of charge on the CDC website. CDC, HHS, and the U.S. Government do not endorse Call Home Help, its services, or any linked commercial offering.