Summer is a time to relax outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather, but heat can often be unbearable if you are stuck inside your home. British houses are designed to trap heat which is why they often feel uncomfortable, and keeping a fan on all the time can often raise your energy bills.
However, Micaela, the founder of Stylish London Living, has shared that keeping your home cool is actually very easy, as all you need to do is open your windows at the right time. Micaela said: “I keep all windows and curtains closed during the day when the sun is at its strongest, then open them wide once the temperature drops in the evening.”
During the day, the sunlight coming through the windows will quickly heat up your home, especially during the hottest time of day which tends to be between 11am and 6pm.
Keeping your curtains closed in the daytime acts like insulation to reduce the amount of heat, and opening the windows in the evening helps flush out any warm air trapped indoors.
It might sound simple, but taking a few seconds to open and shut windows will reduce both the temperature and humidity in your home to keep you comfortable in summer.
How to keep your home cool in summer
Once the sun sets, open your windows and curtains to let the cooler air in. To maximise ventilation, open windows on opposite sides of your home to create a natural breeze.
If you do own a fan, turning them on in the evening is actually more effective than using them during the day, as it helps push the warm out air of your home.
You can also place a bowl of ice in front of a fan to create a natural air conditioner to quickly cool down your home and also make sleeping more comfortable in the summertime.
Make sure to keep doors open to let air flow freely between rooms in the evening, and try and push heavy furniture and thick curtains out of the way as they can restrict airflow.
However, it is important to close windows and curtains in the morning around 8am to block out the heat, and make the ventilation strategy effective.
If you have an extremely sunny area of your house then it may help to invest in blackout curtains to reduce the heat exposure, and if you do open the curtains then try to stay in areas of the home with north-facing windows.
Micaela explained: “Your home has natural cooling potential that you might not be utilising! I’ve discovered that our north-facing rooms stay naturally cooler, so during extreme heat, we relocate our daily activities to these spaces.”