Does A Partition Really Hack Your AC Unit And Cool Your Home Down Faster?

As summer comes around, homes start heating up, and air conditioners can feel like they take forever to work. Plus, high indoor temperatures can make you uncomfortable or even sick and, over time, be damaging to your home. Ideally, home temperatures should be between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit to be comfortable and energy efficient, but you can allow for up to 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. 

Unfortunately, AC units require time to cool down a room, especially when it is hot outside and they have to work harder. Depending on the size and conditions of the room and the type of air conditioner you have, you may have to wait between 15 minutes and an hour to get a temperature drop of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. If this time spent sweating inside seems unbearable, then this hack for quickly cooling off your home during the hot months could be a game changer for you.

This hack involves hanging a sheet of fabric as a partition to create a smaller area that will be cooled by the air conditioner more quickly. The idea is to create a temporary miniature room that will cool down faster than the larger room. If done properly, this hack should work. Before you grab a sheet, though, find out more about the limitations and potential drawbacks of this hack, as its effectiveness depends on a few factors.

When trying to optimize the use of a portable air conditioner, you should isolate the space you are trying to cool from the rest of your home. This can be as simple as closing doors and windows, but if you have an open doorway or area that is too large for your air conditioner to handle efficiently, you may need to do more. This is where the sheet trick comes into play. Heavy fabrics like blackout curtains can block heat from windows and keep cool air in, and the same results can occur if you hang this fabric as a partition or faux door. The fabric will block out the hot air and contain the cool air.

To attempt this hack, try to find a large sheet in a heavy fabric. Then, hang the sheet using tape, a tension rod, or even nails, depending on the location. If the fabric is too light or the sheet too small, you can layer sheets until you get acceptable coverage. Just make sure that there aren't large gaps at the top, bottom, or sides of the heavy sheet of fabric that will let the cold air out. If you decide you like the hack and will continue to use it in the future, you can purchase curtains or other fabrics and hang them permanently in a doorway or room to act as a partition whenever you need to cool down.

If you're considering trying out this hack, consider your portable air conditioner's cooling capacity. Cooling capacity is measured in British thermal units (BTU), and the recommendations for the best portable air conditioners vary based on room size. Using a portable air conditioner with a BTU rating that is too high or too low for the size of the space can cause problems. If the space you section off is too small for your unit, it may become damp from a lack of proper dehumidification. It can also waste energy by causing the air conditioner to cycle off too quickly.

Keep in mind that this hack may not work very well if your sheets do not block enough air, either by not being heavy enough or by leaving gaps for air to escape. Also, remember that the house outside of the sectioned-off area will not get the cooling benefits; other rooms and hallways will stay warm. So, it may cool your designated space quickly, but it also may waste energy, may make the space clammy, and will leave the rest of the house hot. Carefully consider the hidden downsides to air conditioners before use.

For more help managing your home in the summer weather, check out some helpful tips for keeping your home protected in extreme heat.