As the UK heatwave continues, many homeowners struggle with trapped heat that makes rooms unbearable, especially at night. A simple technique called 'night flushing' can effectively cool your home without air conditioning, according to Georgina Bisby, a content creator, journalist, and founder of Your Home Explained.
What is Night Flushing?
In a video on her YouTube channel, Georgina Bisby DIY, Georgina explained that homes store heat like a battery. Walls, carpets, and furniture absorb heat during the day and release it at night, which is why rooms can still feel hot even after sunset. Night flushing involves keeping heat out during the day and then 'dumping' it out overnight by ventilating when outside air is cooler than inside.
Georgina said: 'If you feel like your home gets hotter every day during a heatwave, you're not actually imagining it. Our homes store heat like a battery. So, in hot weather, your walls, carpets, and furniture absorb heat during the day, then slowly release it all night.'
How to Implement Night Flushing
To prevent heat buildup, Georgina advises starting early: 'Ideally, when a hot spell is forecast, from the first warm day, block sunlight early, ventilate at night, and stop your home from storing heat before it snowballs.' She stresses that many people wait too long, only acting once the heat has already built up.
Key steps include checking the temperature before opening windows. 'It's worth having a thermometer indoors and perhaps checking hourly temperatures on your weather app because houses can still hold loads of heat long after sunset,' she said. 'Once you're sure that it's cooler outside, open your windows, create air flow through the house, and ventilate hardest overnight and before sunrise because the coolest temperatures are often just before sunrise.'
Official Health Advice
The NHS also recommends keeping living spaces cool by closing windows, curtains, and blinds during the day, and opening them at night when temperatures drop. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35°C. The NHS advises checking room temperatures, especially for those at higher risk, and contacting local council environmental health offices if a rented home is excessively hot.
