Keeping your home cool during summer heatwaves
Improve your home life during summer months and ensure any viewers or visitors stay comfortable.
Britain has had better weather than the Mediterranean, Hawaii and The Bahamas so far this summer, and with the majority of homes not set up for air conditioning, it can be a struggle to keep your home feeling cool enough.
Although we all love summer, and the sun that comes with it, the sweltering heat can sometimes make you feel hot and uncomfortable, and can often make it harder to get to sleep.
Here are our top tips on keeping your home cool during the summer months:
Windows
Sometimes opening your window when it is hot isn’t the best idea, as you may actually just be letting warm air into the room. Use double glazed windows and turn on a fan, as you want to keep as much cold air in your house as possible. Open the windows at night though as you want any cooler air to circulate and make it easier for you to sleep.
When it comes to blinds and curtains, choose lighter colours, as these will help to reflect the sun away from the room and won’t absorb heat. There are lots of different materials and fabrics to choose from online, just do your research first.
Kitchen
Try and eat cold, summery dishes when you can, because every time you turn the oven on you will be creating a whole load of excess heat that will flow out into your kitchen as soon as you open the door.
If you do want hot food, then either use the microwave or consider cooking your food outdoors. There is nothing nicer than grilling your evening meal outside on a BBQ, that way you can enjoy the weather and get some fresh air at the same time.
Appliances
Just like with an oven, a range of different appliances around your house will generate heat and make your rooms feel warmer. Computers and TVs are two of the worst appliances for generating heat, as they are regularly left on standby.
Turn off any appliances when you aren’t using them and try not to use anything that expels heat during the hottest part of the day, such as a dishwasher, washing machine or hair dryer.
Fans
Air conditioning is not cheap, so fans provide a cheap and easy way to keep your home cooler during the summer months. You can either buy circular fans or large tower fans, but make sure the ones you choose can rotate and direct air evenly around a room.
Using a fan can make a room up to 6°C cooler, and even fans that eat up electricity should only set you back around £7 a month if left on for 12 hours a day. Mild air movement of 1mph, such as that from a fan, can really make a difference to your body temperature in hot weather.
Drapes
If you have any glass patio doors or large windows, then they will act like a magnifying glass when the sun is hot, leaving your rooms feeling like a sauna after a few hours of heat.
Use drapes across the doors when they are facing the sun, as this will help keep the heat out and will help any fans you have turned on cool the room down more efficiently. Keeping heat out is the best way to help your house stay cool during the summer.