Every summer we all act completely shocked when the temperature inside reaches unbearable levels, as if its not the same every year. Its not true for every house of course but most of us live in brick boxes designed to trap heat during the winter which makes them absolute nightmares in July in the Northern Hemisphere. We are not going to talk about closing the curtains or buying a desk fan because you already know that. Let us look at some things that actually make a difference when the afternoon sun is trying to cook you alive in your own living room.
Manage Your Large Appliances
People complain about the heat while running a massive gaming computer and a tumble dryer at the exact same time. Appliances generate a ridiculous amount of heat and they just dump it straight into your living space. If you are baking a roast dinner at three in the afternoon during a heatwave you are just asking for trouble. Wait until late evening to run the dishwasher or the washing machine because they emit surprising amounts of thermal energy. It sounds incredibly basic but turning off unnecessary electronics genuinely stops your rooms from feeling like a humid greenhouse.
Photo by Sergey Makashin
Fix The Loft Hatch
Nobody ever thinks about the ceiling hatch. Your roof space is basically an oven during the summer and if your hatch doesnt have proper seals around the edges it just pours hot air straight down into your hallway all day long. Go to the local hardware shop and buy some cheap foam weather stripping to stick around the wooden frame. It takes five minutes to install and stops the worst of the trapped heat from ruining your upstairs bedrooms before you even try to go to sleep.
Use Extraction Fans Properly
You probably only turn on the bathroom extractor fan to clear the steam after a morning shower but it is actually pulling warm humid air out of your house. If you leave it running for an extra twenty minutes it helps drag the heavy muggy air outside. The same goes for your kitchen hood fan when you are cooking anything on the stove. Just get that hot air out before it has a chance to spread into the rest of the house and make everyone totally miserable?! It isnt a perfect solution but it moves the stagnant air.
The Reality Of Air Conditioning
Eventually you have to accept that standard fans just blow hot air around the room. If you dont want to spend your summer sweating you need proper air conditioning. If you have the money a permanent split system is the only thing that actually works! You pay a professional to bolt a white box to your bedroom wall and suddenly you can actually sleep through the night. Once youve made the investment you will never regret it, it’s one of those things where you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Every summer we all act completely shocked when the temperature inside reaches unbearable levels, as if its not the same every year. Its not true for every house of course but most of us live in brick boxes designed to trap heat during the winter which makes them absolute nightmares in July in the Northern Hemisphere. We are not going to talk about closing the curtains or buying a desk fan because you already know that. Let us look at some things that actually make a difference when the afternoon sun is trying to cook you alive in your own living room.
Manage Your Large Appliances
People complain about the heat while running a massive gaming computer and a tumble dryer at the exact same time. Appliances generate a ridiculous amount of heat and they just dump it straight into your living space. If you are baking a roast dinner at three in the afternoon during a heatwave you are just asking for trouble. Wait until late evening to run the dishwasher or the washing machine because they emit surprising amounts of thermal energy. It sounds incredibly basic but turning off unnecessary electronics genuinely stops your rooms from feeling like a humid greenhouse.
Fix The Loft Hatch
Nobody ever thinks about the ceiling hatch. Your roof space is basically an oven during the summer and if your hatch doesnt have proper seals around the edges it just pours hot air straight down into your hallway all day long. Go to the local hardware shop and buy some cheap foam weather stripping to stick around the wooden frame. It takes five minutes to install and stops the worst of the trapped heat from ruining your upstairs bedrooms before you even try to go to sleep.
Use Extraction Fans Properly
You probably only turn on the bathroom extractor fan to clear the steam after a morning shower but it is actually pulling warm humid air out of your house. If you leave it running for an extra twenty minutes it helps drag the heavy muggy air outside. The same goes for your kitchen hood fan when you are cooking anything on the stove. Just get that hot air out before it has a chance to spread into the rest of the house and make everyone totally miserable?! It isnt a perfect solution but it moves the stagnant air.
The Reality Of Air Conditioning
Eventually you have to accept that standard fans just blow hot air around the room. If you dont want to spend your summer sweating you need proper air conditioning. If you have the money a permanent split system is the only thing that actually works! You pay a professional to bolt a white box to your bedroom wall and suddenly you can actually sleep through the night. Once youve made the investment you will never regret it, it’s one of those things where you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
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