It's getting hot in here

Wish we were hanging with these guys today:
Man it's hot! Cool thoughts go out to my sis in Melbourne. Hope you guys are sucking ice and soaking your feet in tubs of cool water.
Some say climate change is to blame for this heatwave, others say it's just a weather pattern.
Whatever it is we need some stay cool remedies that don't involve an air-conditioner. We don't have one. I swore against forking out for it when we moved in to our new house. I don't like the feel of it. It is very costly to run and not the best friend in the world to our environment.
Here's some beat the heat strategies we've been using:

• Open up your house in the evening as soon as the sun goes down (especially the south face doors and windows) to let cool air circulate. Leave them open all night.

• Once the sun starts to kick off heat (by 8am at the latest) close your house up, including blinds and curtains to keep the cool air in and the hot air out.

• Get good insulation! Instead of spending on air-con that will cost a bomb in electric bills invest in some top-notch insulation, it really does make a world of difference.

• If you have gaps around your windows and doors get some insulating strips from your local hardware store and run them along all the frames. We did this in our last house and it made a noticeable difference.
  

• Get thermal curtains or blinds. Great for keeping the heat out in summer and the warmth in in winter. They can be a bit pricey but again it's a one off cost that is not going to come back to bite you on a quarterly bill and they will last forever. I had some made to measure at Spotlight a few years back.

Oh and it's also essential to eat tubs and tubs of cold icecream. Over to you now. What are your top stay cool strategies?