Keeping your home cool this summer
Things can really warm up in the summer months. Here are some easy (and affordable) ways to keep your home feeling cool this summer.
Everyone loves summer until their home feels like a sauna. Luckily there are a few free or affordable ways to keep your house a little cooler through the hot summer months.
Close your curtains and blinds during the day
A good amount of unwanted heat in your home comes in through the windows so keeping your curtains and blinds closed through the peak sunlight hours in the middle of the day will help keep it out.
Of course, some curtains and blinds will be more effective than others. Your best options are to use blockout or thermal linings, especially on windows that get direct sun. Light coloured curtains will also help as they reflect heat and light away from your home, rather than absorbing it and trapping it inside like thick dark fabrics.
Think about airflow
Opening windows in various locations around your home can help create a refreshing cross breeze. Most homes will have a particular combination of windows that will best produce a cross breeze so try a few different options and find the best one for you.
Utilise fans and aircon
Most homes these days have a heat pump, which is a slightly misleading name as heat pumps are also air conditioners. Just set it to the ‘cool’ function and set the temperature. This is a great option for those especially scorching days when you need a little extra relief from the heat.
And although a fan won’t cool the air itself, it will keep it moving, making it feel less humid and stagnant—especially when combined with open windows.
TIP: fill a bowl with ice and position it at a slight angle in front of your fan. As the ice melts, the fan will blow the chilled water off the top for a cool mist effect.
Pull out the BBQ
Cooking inside is only going to add more heat to your home, so take it outside! BBQing not only keeps your home cooler, it gives you a reason to get outside a little more as well. Win-win!
Get double-glazing or try a glass treatment
Although double-glazing isn’t exactly ‘affordable’ it’s a worthwhile investment if you really struggle to keep your home cool in summer (or warm in winter). Double-glazing has been shown to reduce solar heat gain through windows by up to 13% and it does just as good of a job at keeping the heat in during winter. Plus, you can choose thermal glass or tinted options to further increase the insulating properties. If you’re building a new home or looking at replacing some windows anyways, definitely consider if double-glazing is worth it for you.
Glass treatments are a more affordable and convenient option to help reduce heat from coming into your home. They are a reflective film you can put on the outside of your windows to help reflect heat away. These treatments can be a great, budget-friendly option if double-glazing isn’t an option yet.
