A hot, stuffy house is never ideal, especially when you’re trying to sleep. If your home is well insulated, then unfortunately, it’ll also be good at keeping the summer warmth in, even when you’d rather it didn’t!
Following our most recent heatwave (and many before that too in 2023), we thought we’d share our advice on how to avoid an overheated home.
A heatwave in Britain can be very tricky to deal with, as our homes just aren’t built for such hot temperatures - they're designed to keep heat in, not out!
When the weather is hot outside, the temperature of your home will also rise, which can be very uncomfortable for you and your family. Fear not though, as we’ve put together our top tips on how to keep your home cool.
Draw your curtains and blinds
It may be tempting to throw open the windows on a hot day but by closing your curtains and blinds during the day, this will help to block out the heat from the sun. If you can, try to choose a lighter colour, as darker colours may actually add to the heat rather than reflecting it.
Choose when to open and close windows
During the day, it’s best to keep windows closed in rooms that are facing the sun, as this will let in the external heat. When the temperature drops into the evening, this is the perfect time to open them all up to allow for cool air to enter your home - hopefully aiding a better night’s sleep.
Put your extractor fans to good use
Extractor fans aren’t just good for ventilation, they can also remove some of the warm air caused by the weather too. Open up your internal doors and leave your kitchen and bathroom extractor fans running for a while to remove some excess heat - make sure to shut the doors again when you switch the fans off though.
Air conditioning
Air conditioning is great but units can use a lot of power, which can make them costly and bad for the environment. You can boost the efficiency of your system by closing windows, curtains and blinds to keep the hot air out and also prevent the cold air escaping, but you don’t need a big, expensive air-con unit to stay cool.
As well as following the above tips, you can also improvise with a wet sheet and some ice: By hanging a wet sheet in front of an open window, this will cool the warm air as it enters the home.
If you have a fan, then place a deep dish of ice in front of it - the fan will then pick up the water mist and make the breeze cool. If you don’t mind spending a little, then there are many portable, small DIY air-con units available on the market - you’ll just need ice and a power source to use them.
Select your rooms wisely
Some rooms in your house will likely be cooler than others, usually due to whether they’re in the shade or not. Downstairs will typically be cooler than upstairs, as heat will rise - so if it’s unbearably hot at night, you may consider sleeping downstairs for some relief.
The best and most efficient way to ensure that your home maintains a safe, comfortable temperature at all times is whole-house ventilation. Once installed, our high-quality units will do all of the hard work for you - purifying fresh air and circulating it through the house while extracting the hot air that rises to the ceiling.
By investing in a mechanical ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) system, you won’t need to worry about sleeping downstairs or running your extractor fans excessively, because this will ensure that the temperature remains pleasant.
When the outdoor temperature is cooler than indoors, our MVHR systems will work in reverse. The unit extracts warm air from your home and sends it outside, bringing in cooler air from outside. By extracting humid air from inside the house and replacing it with fresh, dry air, the system will improve indoor air quality too.
The flow of cooler air means that you can keep your windows closed during the day and night, whilst still enjoying a cooler home.
Get in touch with our expert team today to find out more about whole-house ventilation.
