As the heatwave lingers, here’s a few ideas on how to keep your home cool so that you can do to lower the temperatures and be more comfortable. 

Most of our homes are designed to keep us warm, not cold, and so here are some tips to help you bear these high temperatures.

Did you know that opening your curtains or blinds to let the sunshine in  can actually increase the temperature of your home?

Instead, keep them closed throughout the day or partially open to keep the heat out. 

It may be tempting to open your windows during the day to let in fresh air but its better to keep them closed and open them at night, if safe to do so.

This is because temperatures fall considerably at night, meaning that opening a window in the evening will allow cool air to circulate around the house whereas only hot air will be coming in during the day making you feel hotter.

If you do want to open windows during the day, try and open windows at opposite sides of the house so that air can cross circulate.

Supercharge the effect of your fan

If you have an electric fan, place a bowl filled with ice water directly in front of it and then switch it on. As the ice melts the breeze from the fan will pick up the cool air coming from the ice’s surface and create a cool breeze, similar to an air-conditioning unit. This will work with cold water too if you don’t have any ice cubes to hand.

A surprising amount of heat is generated from appliances around the house, so avoiding charging them overnight and switch off sockets too. 

Try and avoid using your oven too!

Light bulbs radiate a lot of heat, which won’t help when you’re trying to keep cool in this weather. Try and switch to low-energy light bulbs which will have the dual benefit of helping to reduce overheating as well as save you some money.