How to keep your house cool in summer

Seal your doors and windows: Sealing your doors and windows using rubber sealing strips can prevent hot air from entering and cool air from escaping.

Walls and ceiling insulation: Proper insulation is essential for maintaining a suitable home temperature. Consider installing wall insulation, which can limit heat gain, and roof insulation, which can assist with heat loss. For houses with floorboards or raised houses, you can also consider getting underfloor insulation to help block out the heat and avoid losing cool air through the spaces between the floorboards.

Employing external shading: Awnings, pergolas, and shade sails can deflect direct sunlight before it reaches your windows, or you could plant trees or set up trellises with climbing plants.

Make good use of fans: Ceiling fans can circulate cool air, especially if you turn your fan anti-clockwise to force cool air downward. You can also use portable fans with a bowl of ice in front to produce cooler air, a simple and inexpensive hack to help you stay cool.

Combine a fan with air conditioning: Using a fan with your air conditioner can improve its cooling effect. This allows you to set your air con to a higher temperature without sacrificing comfort.

Regular maintenance: Clean your air conditioning unit’s filters to improve its efficiency, as a clogged filter can increase energy consumption. Regular servicing can also assist with this and increase the lifespan of your aircon.

Choosing the right system: If you want to upgrade or remodel, consider energy-efficient air conditioning systems, such as inverter types. These systems regulate their output to maintain a consistent temperature, consuming less energy over time.

Zoning: Close doors to sections that aren’t in use and, if possible, chill single rooms. This lowers the amount of space your air conditioner must cool, which saves electricity and reduces electricity bills.

Instant cooling: A cold shower immediately lowers your body temperature, providing instant relief from the summer heat and helping to regulate your core temperature.

Energy efficiency: Since cold showers don’t require heating water, they are a great way to be more energy-efficient and save on energy bills during summer. Heating water accounts for a significant portion of household energy use, so cutting this out when it’s hot may lead to noticeable savings.

Refreshing effect: Cold water can improve circulation and invigorate the body, helping you feel more alert and refreshed. This is especially helpful if the heat is leaving you feeling sluggish.

Use appliances strategically: During the day, avoid using heat-generating equipment such as ovens, dishwashers, exhaust fans, and incandescent light bulbs. Choose cooler alternatives, such as LEDs for lighting, microwaves, slow cookers, or air fryers.

Energy-efficient appliances: When purchasing new appliances, look for models with high energy efficiency ratings. These devices emit less heat and utilise less electricity to run the appliances.

Ventilate at night and in the morning: Open windows and doors in the morning and evening to let fresh air into your house and warm air out. You can also create a cool breeze by opening windows on opposite sides of the home.

Block the heat during the day: Close your windows—especially the north and west-facing windows—to keep cool air inside as temperatures climb. You can also use window coverings like drapes, curtains or blinds to block direct sunlight.

Reflective roof paint: A reflective roof coating reduces heat absorption by reflecting sunlight and can lower indoor temperatures.

Double-glazed windows: If you’re remodelling, consider double-glazing your windows. This window treatment can insulate your home against heat and cold, lowering your energy bills.

Dehumidifiers: Reducing humidity in your home can make it feel colder without reducing the temperature. A dehumidifier eliminates moisture from the air, which is especially useful in coastal locations or places with high humidity.

House plants: Indoor plants like peace lilies can naturally lower the humidity levels in your house and improve air quality on humid summer days.

Thermal mass: Make the most of building materials like concrete, brick, or stone, which collect heat during the day and are gently released at night, lowering indoor temperatures.

Ventilation systems: Installing a solar roof vent can help remove hot air from your roof, lowering your home’s overall temperature.

Greenery for cooling: Besides providing shade, trees and plants cool the surrounding air through evapotranspiration. By planting deciduous trees along your home’s northern and western sides, you can protect it from heatwave conditions and intense summer sun. In winter, when the leaves fall off the trees, your home is warmed using the gentler winter sun.

Green roofs or walls: Installing a green roof or covering an external wall with plants can absorb sunlight and lower your home’s indoor temperature.