Dealing with sweltering summer temperatures isn’t something that Brits have had to routinely deal with traditionally.
However, the extreme heatwave of 2022 is expected to be the start of an ongoing pattern rather than an outlier with the climate crisis pushing global temperatures further and further upwards.
So, with it set to become an annual part of our lives on these shores, here are a few ways that you can combat high temperatures in your home.
Keep light out
Shutting blinds and curtains casts shadows across much of your home and prevents the sun’s strong rays from heating the air in each room.
Similarly, shutting doors prevents heat transfer between different areas of your house and can be a great way in particular of keeping bedrooms as cool as possible and making it easier to sleep when the nights get more stifling.
Blackout blinds and curtains are particularly effective at this as they don’t allow shafts of light to spoil your preparations.
Increase airflow
Opening doors and/or windows at opposite ends of a room or your whole property can create cooling breezes running through your living spaces.
It’s advised to close them, so as not to undo the work done by closing blinds and curtains when temperatures are at their highest. This approach works best in the mornings and evenings.
Once windows are shut, you can use portable fans from a supplier such as RS to keep parts of your home cool as you move around it. This is perfect for people who work from home and might need to cool different areas throughout the day.
Plan ‘summer’ meals
Running ovens, hobs and other appliances makes the kitchen a warm place at the best of times.
When you’re facing heatwave conditions, it could become unbearable and start to transfer heat across the whole home, undoing all of the work you’ve done in an attempt to keep it cool.
Planning meals that do not require as much cooking, such as salads and sharing plates means you can still enjoy some family favourites while keeping cool.
You might even discover a few new go-to dishes in the process!
Invest in insulation
If you think about insulation warming your home in winter, this advice might sound a bit bonkers. But insulation works by preventing the transfer of heat from the inside of your home to the outside – and vice-versa.
In the winter months, insulation in your loft or wall cavity helps trap warm air inside your home, hopefully reducing energy bills and keeping everyone warm.
When the temperatures spike outside, the opposite is true. The insulation will work by preventing that warm air from coming into the home, and hopefully sparing you of the harshest temperatures.