Cool it

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Ditto turning the AC off entirely when you aren’t home. For central air conditioning, smart thermostats can help control when and how you cool. Some window AC units also come with software that allows for a similar level of control.

Consider a fan

We feel cooler on breezy days because fast-moving air helps remove body heat. Fans basically mimic a breeze while using about 1% of the electricity of an AC unit.

The EPA’s Excessive Heat

Cams

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Make sure each camera has a light that lets you know the gadget is on, and look for a physical cover that can go over the camera vs. trusting that the software has turned it off. If you’re buying a more niche product, such as a camera designed just for monitoring pets, it should be equally secure.

Turn on end-toend encryption

The most important feature if you’re interested in security is end-to-end encryption for your footage. This should mean that your files can’t be viewed by the camera company or even law enforcement if subpoenaed, and that it’s monumentally harder for hackers to access them. You’ll want to confirm that the files are encrypted on the servers where they’re backed up and that the company does not have the key to decipher them.

Change default passwords

Many security devices and even routers come with default passwords set up. Change this

Events Guidebook warns against relying on fans alone when the heat index is above 99 degrees Fahrenheit, but that doesn’t mean there’s no use for fans in that kind of heat.

Using a fan in combination with air conditioning lets you set the AC at a higher temperature — say, 78 degrees instead of 75 degrees — and still feel comfortable, while also using less energy.

Consider upgrading your AC

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if your air conditioner dates back to the 1970s, you can cut its energy use in half by upgrading to a immediately to a unique strong password that you, hopefully, store safely in a password manager. Change any default user name provided. Finally, turn on multi-factor authentication for the account you use with the camera, meaning you will have to enter a confirmation code from a text or app when logging on from new devices.

Save to your own servers

If you are using many internet connected smart home gadgets, consider setting up a second WiFi network just for them, says Ellen Boehm, the senior vice president for IoT Strategy & Operations at the cybersecurity company Keyfactor. She says the easiest way for hackers to get into your home network is through the weakest device you own — an old smart doorbell or a smart light that hasn’t been updated in years. By keeping those devices on a different network from your computers, televisions and phones, you limit damage from a hack.

If you have the knowhow and are extra cautious, you can set newer model. Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old, you might save 20% to 40% on cooling costs by upgrading. Stick to energy-smart models, and pay close attention to their estimated costs: Forking over a little more cash upfront can bring significant savings in the long term. You might also consider a heat pump which despite its name, cools in addition to heats your home.

Rethink the design of your home

“Air conditioning is a response to bad architecture,” Bean says. “If you look around the world, and you look at vernacular architecture [in places up cameras to record to your own server at home instead of the cloud. You are in control of a server you own instead of relying on third-parties to use the proper security measures or procedures for dealing with law enforcement.

Imagine the worst

It can be temping to put cameras in every room, to check in on your children when you’re running late or to see where your cat is right now. Since no camera, or technology, is 100 percent safe from risk, avoid putting them anywhere where they could capture sensitive footage.

If video from your kitchen leaks, that might not be too big of an issue. If a camera is pointed inside your bathroom or children’s bedroom, however, that footage could fall into the wrong hands and be posted or traded online, or even used for blackmail.

Instead of putting a camera where it can record an entire room, place it where it can monitor entrances and exits. That’s the information you’re more likely to want if you’re using the camera for security.

like] Bangkok, Hawaii, Florida, the Middle East … if you go back in time, the inhabitants of those places survived without air conditioning.”

Much of modern home design ignores where a home is built — a townhouse in Florida looks a lot like one in Massachusetts, even though these places have quite different climates. Most homes are also designed with the assumption of artificial heat and cooling, which exacerbates reliance on mechanized temperature control.

Approaching building design with temperature in mind can mean, for example, reducing how much sun hits a structure in the first place.

“If you’re worried about someone passing into a room, think about the pass-through - that view,” says Boehm. “There’s one door you need to know if they go in or out of.”

Know how to deal with the police

It makes sense that, at some point, law enforcement may want access to footage captured by one of your cameras. If you are the victim of a crime or trying to help a neighbor who was, you can send any clips directly to the police. Do not grant law enforcement access directly to your camera or account. Instead, offer to download the file and email it to an officer.

“Make sure you are only handing over something very specific and you know what it is and why they want it,” says the CDT’s Laperruque. If law enforcement is looking for footage that you are not comfortable or interested in sharing, know your rights. They cannot obtain it without consent or a warrant.

“Warrants exist for a reason. If police want to come look at the footage and they have a good reason for it, a judge will grant them a warrant,”

Bean notes that before the rise of central heating and AC, architecture employed all kinds of structural techniques to reduce heat naturally.

“They kept the sun off the building [or] built large rooms that allowed for nighttime ventilation,” he says. “In moist climates — Thailand is a good example — they built the houses off the ground so they didn’t get wet.” says Guariglia.

Of course, few people can rebuild their homes from the bottom-up.

But pre-AC techniques can be applied in other ways, too, like by giving rooftops reflective coatings or installing exterior shades to block sunlight.

Many camera companies have special programs that can give law enforcement emergency access to camera footage.

Tell people about your cameras

Make sure everyone in the house is aware of where your cameras are and when they are on. You should tell any elderly relatives if you are monitoring them, let children know as soon as they’re old enough to understand what a camera is, and always inform guests, especially if they are staying with you. Use smart home apps or a camera’s own settings to disable cameras when certain people are home, so you are recording only when the house should be empty.

Manage expectations

The reality is that cameras don’t always deter criminals and police don’t always use footage to try to track them down.

“If cameras prevented crime, we wouldn’t have so much footage of crime happening,” said the EFF’s Guariglia. “There’s no evidence that having a camera prevents crime.”

Assume everyone’s cams are not secure

It’s not just the cameras you buy and install yourself. If you’ve left your home today (and no judgment if you haven’t), there’s a good chance you were captured on multiple security cameras. Maybe it was your face in the drugstore or your phone conversation as you walked by a neighbor’s front door.

Just because you follow best practices doesn’t mean neighbors, businesses or the local government do. Proceed with caution, even if it’s just to grab some milk at the corner store.

If you’re staying at a hotel or short-term rental and are worried that cameras might be in use, you can take a few precautions. Inspect any devices such as alarm clocks, fire alarms and similar devices for hidden cameras, unplug anything that makes you nervous or that has an obvious camera. Look for suspicious WiFi network equipment, and if you’re especially concerned, you can disable the hosts WiFi while you are there.