When temperatures soar, maintaining a comfortable home environment can feel like a near-impossible task. Sweltering conditions can transform your living quarters into a furnace, especially if air conditioning isn't available or you're trying to avoid the extra utility costs associated with constantly operating fans.
The encouraging news is there are numerous simple, effective ways to keep indoor spaces cooler during a heatwave. Most of these solutions can be implemented in moments using items you already have around the house.
1. Closing Curtains and Blinds
When sunny weather arrives, our immediate response before heading outside is often to throw open the curtains and let those beautiful beams flood in. Yet this practice can actually raise the temperature inside your property, reports the Mirror.
To maintain a cooler home, keep your blinds, curtains and shutters drawn during daylight hours to block direct sunlight from streaming in and to prevent warmth from accumulating indoors. If you're depending on curtains, choose lighter materials wherever possible, as thick, heavy fabrics have a tendency to retain heat and make rooms feel stuffier.
"Do this early on in the day, long before temperatures peak. You may also wish to consider using a reflective surface at windows, such as a reflective window film, external foil screens or budget-friendly tin foil, to bounce the heat away," reported home experts at Country Living.
2. Natural Ventilation
As the evening approaches, daytime warmth starts to fade. Throughout the summer period, this usually occurs after 8pm. Property specialists suggest capitalising on this opportunity to ventilate your home.
They shared: "While you seal everything shut during the day, these are the times to fling open the window (and doors when awake), especially those upstairs, to flush out the hot air and let in the cool air." When feasible, establishing a through-draft by opening windows on opposing ends of the property will assist in lowering temperatures even more.
3. Make One Room Cool
The Red Cross states that maintaining coolness throughout your entire property is challenging. Rather, it's preferable to identify a particular space or choose one or two rooms to concentrate on keeping comfortable. They warned: "Keep windows covered and shut and close doors to stop warm air entering." They added: "Try to avoid, or spend as little time in as possible, rooms that will be hard to keep cool, like a kitchen where heat is generated by appliances and cooking devices, or rooms with large windows where the sun is shining."
If you decide to operate an electric fan, it's crucial to use it effectively to avoid squandering energy. Here's the advice from consumer watchdog Which?:
- Don't turn it on unless you're in the room, as it wastes energy and doesn't cool your room.
- If it's colder outside than in, then place your fan by your window. But if it is hot, then avoid placing fans near windows.
- If it is too hot, try to place a bowl or glass of ice under your fan - this will act like an air conditioner.
