Scorching sunshine has been beating down this weekend, with the Met Office now forecasting highs of 34C on bank holiday Monday in parts of the UK. The sweltering conditions have already tipped into heatwave territory for numerous UK regions, with temperatures steadily climbing throughout the week before peaking on today and Tuesday, according to forecasters.
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat health alerts, encouraging households to take steps to combat the heat. This means many of us will be desperately seeking ways to stay cool and bring the temperature down indoors, ideally without breaking the bank.
While fans do not actually lower the temperature in your rooms, and air conditioning does the job but costs a fortune to run, people are increasingly turning to cheap and simple solutions to make their homes more bearable. And, of course, UK homes are largely designed to retain heat, owing to our typically mild climate — which certainly does not help matters.
The Tin Foil Trick
However, there is a little-known trick to keeping your house cool that requires nothing more than a £1.20 roll of tin foil or kitchen foil — such as that sold in Asda as well as other supermarkets like Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Aldi. Those desperately seeking relief from the heat have been encouraging others to unroll kitchen foil and place it across their windows, particularly those in direct sunlight, reports the Express.
Ordinarily, when direct sunlight streams through a window, it amplifies the sun's heat and makes your home even warmer — the very same principle that allows greenhouses to keep plants warm inside. Foil works by bouncing sunlight back off the window, deflecting it outside rather than letting it penetrate your home.
Adam Pawson, Head of Digital at Safestyle, told Ideal Home: "Blocking your windows with tin foil will help to keep your rooms cooler in the heat as it reflects the heat back outside." However, he cautioned that the trick is most effective when applied to the exterior of the window: "However, one mistake people make is by placing the foil on the inside of the window. It is really important to be careful to place the tin foil on the outside of your windows rather than the inside to prevent the glass from getting too hot."
Alternative Cooling Methods
Alternative options include keeping windows open while drawing your curtains, preventing direct sunlight from streaming in. Though this approach will still allow some warmth to seep through the curtains, foil remains the more effective solution for deflecting the sun's rays. You may recall that foil's heat-reflecting properties are equally useful in winter, when people were advised to hang strips of tin foil behind radiators to bounce warmth back into the room.
Additional Benefits of Tin Foil
The added benefits of tin foil, or 'aluminium foil', are that it's non-toxic and does not melt until it reaches 660C — meaning even during a sweltering heatwave, it will cope with ease, leaving you with absolutely no concern about it buckling under the sun's heat.
Other Tips to Keep a House Cool
- Open windows and doors only during the evenings, allowing cooler air to flow through your home, while keeping windows and curtains shut on whichever sides face direct sunlight throughout the day.
- Placing bowls of water in various rooms around the house can also help, as the water evaporates and assists in lowering the air temperature.
- Houseplants are another useful addition, acting as natural air conditioners by releasing moisture into the air through a process known as transpiration.
- Switching off appliances that are not in use is another worthwhile measure. Everything from ovens and toasters to laptops and games consoles can generate small amounts of heat on standby, all of which contribute to the overall temperature of your home.
- The same principle applies when charging devices such as your mobile phone — the modest heat produced can gradually warm a room, so it is advisable to charge overnight instead.
- Energy-saving LED bulbs can also play a part in keeping your home cooler. Traditional bulbs, such as halogens, emit a considerable amount of heat while illuminating a room, and several halogen lights or spotlights can raise the temperature noticeably come evening.
Consider switching to energy-saving LEDs and keep lights off wherever possible — a change that will also trim your energy bills in the process.
