Solar screens and shades can also effectively block a large amount of the sun's heat before it enters your home. Ceiling fans look good and help keep air moving to make your feel comfortable. Most fans use no more energy than a 100-watt light bulb. To cool the whole house when the temperature does down at night, consider a whole house fan. These units draw air in from outside, replacing the warmer indoor air.
Evaporative coolers cool the air rather than just move it around and work great in our climate.
These units are relatively inexpensive to operate and can be installed on top of the house, in the attic, on a concrete slab at ground level or even in a window. Proper maintenance is important so your evaporative cooler will run efficiently. Check your owner's manual. With refrigerated air conditioning you won't speed up the cooling process by setting the thermostat at a temperature that's lower than comfortable. It will take just as long to cool as the regular setting and will over cool the area before the cooling cycle is finished which means that more energy is used than is necessary.