The warmer months are certainly with us in the United Kingdom and it is very important to stay cool, especially in your own home. If you are lucky enough to have air conditioning in your house, then great, but this can be expensive. If you are part of the masses that do not have air conditioning in the UK, these tips should help to cool your house down. Either way, the tips in this guide are designed to keep you as cool as possible!
Keep the blinds closed
Around 30% of unwanted heat comes from the windows of a house and by using the curtains or blinds, you can save yourself money on your bills as well as lowering the indoor temperature.
Having open blinds or curtains on a really hot day can essentially turn your home into a sort of greenhouse. You probably do not want to sit in your house in total darkness, so consider doing this in rooms you aren’t going to be using on that day or the rooms you rarely spend time in. Whilst you are out and about, maybe close all the blinds, especially the bedroom blinds or curtains to keep your house cooler for you to come back to.
Consider investing in blackout curtains if you want to go all out. Blackout curtains block out the sunlight and they can reduce gain by up to 33%.
Be smart with bedding
During the summer months, the nights can get so hot that it is hard to sleep at all. It may be wise to switch up your bedding.
There are certain materials like fleece and flannel which are great for insulation, but this is not what you want throughout summer. Fabrics like cotton are the best for this time of year as cotton breathes easier and keeps cooler.
Another thing you can do is look at treating yourself to buckwheat pillows. Buckwheat is recommended because there is naturally occurring air space between the hulls. Therefore, they will not hold on to your body heat like a conventional pillow will.
Alternatively, cut straight to the chase and get yourself a Chillow or two. These are perfectly designed to keep you cool via your pillow. To keep your feet cool, fill up a water bottle, freeze it, then place it at the bottom of your bed. This will slightly dampen your sheets, which can work in your favour, but to avoid this simply wrap the bottom in a towel or something similar.
Make use of the nighttime air
Obviously, the coolest time of the day is going to be the night – albeit still warm. But the temperatures do drop at night, so make use of these refreshing hours by cracking open the windows just before you hit the hay.
To seriously cool yourself down, create a wind tunnel by strategically placing your fans to force the night air in your direction, with a bit of a boost! It is wise to actually close the windows before you go to sleep as this can result in you waking up in a very, very hot room which we all know can be rather unpleasant.
Start cooking outside
The warmer months mean that BBQ’s are a possibility in the UK! Asides from this being a lovely activity to partake in with your friends or family, it will help to keep your home cooler.
It goes without saying that using an oven or an AGA (especially) will make your house a lot hotter. If it is already very hot in your house, the last thing you will want is to turn a burning hot oven on or have an AGA blaring out heat all day and night.
Make use of the outdoors and grill your meals on the BBQ when you have food that can be cooked as such. Plus, this way you will encourage more social interaction and get more bargain for your buck with your outdoor furniture, which let’s face it, doesn’t see much attention during the rest of the year.
