Heatwaves are going to be much more common in the future. Europe has struggled with heatwaves this summer with temperatures staying between 35-40 degrees Celsius. Around the world in Asia and Americas, there are places reaching 50 degrees Celsius. It is inevitable we prepare to live and work in prolong periods of intense heat. An air conditioning unit Is the most obvious answer, but they consume lots of energy and are expensive to buy and operate. There are other ways to stay cooler at home. The Energy Saving Trust has good tips of cooling down your home without having to use too much energy and is inexpensive.

Free ways to cool down the home

Open your windows in the right way at the right time. Opening your window seems like an obvious piece of advice, but done in the wrong way, you can end up heating up your house even more! The best time to open your window is in the cool part of the day. If it is predicted to become hot during the middle of the day, you can open windows in the morning before it gets hot to let the cool air in. It is more effective if you open windows on all sides of the house and that are opposite each other to create a tunnel of cool air. When it is hot during the day, shut the windows otherwise you will be letting hot air into your home and will make it even warmer. Another way to keep warm air out of your home is to draw the curtains or blinds during the hottest part of the day. Once the sun has moved away and it has become cooler, you can draw back the curtains or the blinds.

Inexpensive ways to cool down the home

Fans do not use much energy compared to an air-conditioning unit. Using a fan for 24 hours continuously cost 15-30 pence whilst using a portable air conditioning unit for the same length of time cost £4.84 – £6 a day. If you want to use something more powerful than a fan, a more energy efficient alternative to an air conditioning unit is an evaporative air cooler. They cost much less than an air conditioning unit to operate, costing 28-40 pence to use for 24 hours. They work like air conditioners by taking out warm air using water. This is why it is important that the room is well ventilated, otherwise it can increase the amount of moisture in the air. If you have damp and mould problems in your home, it may not be the best option. If they are the right option for you, there are lots of options to choose from, and they differ on size, noise level, power use and cooling impact.

Other home improvements to keep homes cool

There are other home improvements you can invest in such as solar film for windows and insulation. You can buy solar film for windows to reduce the amount of heat entering the room. They come in different sizes and are cheap to buy. It is best to prioritize south facing windows if you are keen to put it on every window in your home.  Another effective way of keeping you house cool is investing in insulation. Usually, we think of insulation as a way of keeping a house warm. But since it is good at keeping temperature stable in a building, it keeps a cool building at its cool temperature. Insulation works the same as a thermos flask, keeping hot drinks hot and cool drinks cool.