As temperatures soar across the UK, many households find themselves grappling with the familiar challenge of keeping cool without the luxury of air conditioning.
The annual heatwave often triggers a scramble for solutions, with concerns ranging from restless nights to maintaining comfort while working from home.
While creating a cool indoor sanctuary can seem daunting, we asked experts some practical, low-cost strategies to combat the rising mercury.
1. Cover the outside of your windows with sheets or newspapers
One highly effective, albeit visually unconventional, method involves external window coverings. Kevin Pennington, owner of Lancashire Air Conditioning, who has partnered with Sharps to provide home cooling advice, suggests: "If you have south-facing windows, you might want to consider putting sheets or newspaper on the outside of the windows to stop the sun from touching the window and getting into your house."
He admits, "It looks absolutely horrendous, but is massively effective. It can reduce the heat gain by up to 80/90 per cent with the right sheet."
2. Stop any zombie appliances from creating heat
Minimising internal heat sources is also crucial. Pennington advises unplugging "zombie appliances" that generate heat even when not actively in use. "Try not to leave anything plugged in that produces a lot of heat, such as phone chargers, laptops and desktop computers that are running and charging even though they’re not being used," he explains.
Furthermore, he recommends reducing the use of major heat-producing appliances like tumble dryers, washing machines, and dishwashers during peak temperatures.
3. Open windows early in the morning and late at night
Strategic ventilation can make a significant difference. "Get those windows and doors open early in the morning, while it’s still cold, then close them throughout the day and reopen them late at night when the air temperature drops," Pennington recommends.
He adds, "Look at the weather forecast and this will help guide you of the best times to do this. As soon as it’s getting cool outside and is hot inside, get them open."
Citing a personal example, he noted, "I was up at 5am this morning, and it was 24 degrees in my lounge, but 18 outside, so I opened the doors and windows. Within an hour, it dropped two degrees in my lounge, and it created a nice breeze."
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4. Cook outside
Cooking habits also contribute to indoor heat. Ciaran Murphy, CEO of Dimplex Consumer Products, suggests, "Using an oven to cook adds a lot of heat to the home which you then need to try and get rid of, so you could try to avoid that by cooking outside by using a barbecue, for example."
Pennington concurs, adding: "Consider having ham, cold cuts and some salad for dinner instead of cooking, as that can be a great way way of avoiding putting the oven, the air fryer or the grill on."
5. Move your bed
Even bedroom furniture placement can impact comfort. Pennington highlights that "UK houses are mostly built from brick to retain heat in winter and if the sun is hitting the wall by your bed all afternoon, the brick absorbs the heat and effectively becomes a large heater."
He warns, "It holds onto that warmth and releases it at night, which causes the room to get significantly hotter than it should be. Therefore, pulling the bed away from the wall should really help."
6. Point a fan outside
Fans can be deployed creatively. Murphy suggests, "If the temperature outside is lower than it is inside, having a fan at the window pointing outwards will have the effect of pulling cooler air into the home." He also notes, "At the same time, you could also have another fan inside pointing at you to cool you directly."
7. Make a DIY air conditioner
For a temporary boost, Pennington proposes a DIY air conditioner: "If you have a chest freezer in the garage, you can fill an empty ice cream tub with water and freeze it, and then blow a fan on it in your living space."
He explains, "As the air blows towards the ice, the ice absorbs heat from it, and it is noticeably cooler." However, he cautions, "this is only effective for a short amount of time because eventually it just turns to warm water as you’re blowing energy at it and warming it up."
8. Give your curtains an upgrade
Finally, an upgrade to window dressings can offer long-term relief. Murphy advises, "You can get reflective backers on your curtains that will bounce away more of that sunlight to help stop some of it from getting into your home."
These simple adjustments can help transform stifling interiors into more tolerable spaces during the summer heat.
