An expert has shared a key reason you should leave your loft hatch open and it could help with one thing that you might not expect. In summer, opening your loft hatch can bring a huge benefit.
Households in the UK are being told to leave their loft hatches open for the next seven days amid the country’s heatwave. Temperatures are set to soar into the low 30C’s this week, with large parts of the UK meeting the heatwave thresholds by the end of the week. At night, it can be hard to get a good night of sleep with the weather being so hot.
At the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0 – the world’s largest climate test chamber – scientists are working with Barratt Redrow to test how properties can withstand hotter summers caused by climate change, reports Manchester Evening News.
“The country is seeing more frequent and intense weather extremes due to climate change. As part of this, there is an increasing risk of overheating, even during cooler summers, which has a detrimental effect on wellbeing,” said Oliver Novakovic at Barratt and David Wilson Homes.
“We’re working with the University of Salford to test new technologies alongside simple methods of reducing overheating and improving air quality, so the homes that are built in the next 10 or even 50 years can cope with rising temperatures.”
The expert has provided some tips for keeping your home at its coolest during a heatwave.
One of the main tips Oliver provided is to open your loft hatch. As the hot air rises in your home, it can often get trapped on the second floor, where you may be trying to sleep.
He says opening the loft hatch can allow the air to rise further and away from your bedroom, helping to bring overall temperatures down.
But this is not the only tip the expert shared. He said you should close curtains and windows.
While it may be tempting to open your windows to allow air into the home, it’s more beneficial to keep them closed during the hottest parts of the day, he says.
This is especially true for any south-facing windows as these will be exposed to the sun for most of the day.
At the time of day when temperatures are highest, draw the curtains to keep the sun out, and close the windows to keep out hot air.
Then, as it gets cooler, you can open windows and doors – preferably at opposite sides of the house – to let in some fresh air flow through. Early morning or late evening is the best time to do this.
By following these simple tips, you can ensure your home will stay cool and you won’t be left with a sweltering hot house during the heatwave.