How to keep your home cool in a heatwave

With average temperatures on the rise, here are some top tips on how to keep your house cool in the day and sleep comfortably at night:

 

• It may feel counter-intuitive, but keep windows shut and curtains or blinds drawn during the day. When it’s hotter outside than in opening windows raises the indoor temperature so open them at night when the temperature drops.

 

• Humans may be uncomfortable in a heatwave but dogs die in hot weather. Never leave yours in a conservatory or car, even for a short time. If your dog is left in a car parked in the shade with a window open, when it’s 22 degrees outside, the temperature inside can reach 47 degrees within an hour. Even access to a water bowl won’t be enough to prevent heat stroke which can come on in a matter of minutes and prove fatal. Check out rspca.org.uk for more advice on caring for your dog in the heat.

 

• Place a bowl of ice cubes or a bag of frozen peas in front of a fan, it will make the circulating air even cooler.

 

• No room in the house generates as much heat as the kitchen. Make the most of the barbecue weather and cook and eat alfresco. If you do use your oven, cover pans to minimise indoor humidity.

 

• If you haven’t already, turn off the Aga and get it serviced before the autumn.  

 

• Insulation is a long term strategy that will pay dividends all year round, helping to keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer months. 

 

• Researchers at Imperial College London have discovered that a lot of us are keeping our houses overly hot because of not using sash windows correctly. Aim to have an equal gap at the top and the bottom of the window so that cool air can flow in through the lower opening and hot air can escape through the top gap.

 

• Global temperatures are rising, but the UK climate is chilly rather than tropical and most of us don’t have air conditioning which is expensive to install and expensive to run. If hot days seem endless, you can hire air conditioning units from £30 a week for some temporary relief. 

 

• Everything you plug into an electrical socket generates heat. Unplug the computer, television and all mobile devices when you’re not using them. 

 

A swimming pool is the ultimate summer heatwave solution and the three country houses below currently on the market with Michael Graham all have outdoor pools guaranteed to give every day a Mediterranean feel. To see all Michael Graham town and country homes to buy or to let use our Property Search.