Beat the heat this summer with top tips on staying cool without hiking up our energy bills.
UK summers aren’t what they used to be. Heatwaves are hitting harder, but most of us still don’t have air con, garden pools or cash to splash on fancy cooling gadgets. So when the temperature shoots up, we need cheap tricks that actually help.
Most UK homes are built to keep heat in. That’s great in winter, not so much now. Air con is rare.
The good news? There are smart, low-cost ways to stay cool. Whether it’s rigging up a fan the right way or sipping hot tea when it’s roasting out, there are plenty of tricks that actually work.
- Close It All Down
First rule of a heatwave? Keep the hot stuff out.
If it’s hotter outside than inside, keep windows shut from morning until evening. As a rough guide, once it’s above 28°C outside, close the windows and pull blinds or curtains down, especially where the sun beams in.
It sounds wrong, we know. But flinging windows open at lunchtime can let even more hot air in. That’s not fresh air. That’s an oven door.
The worst heat usually hits between 11am and 3pm, so try to dodge errands, walks and heavy jobs then if we can.
- Give Hot Air The Boot
When the temperature drops in the evening, open up. If possible, open windows on both sides of the home and get a proper breeze going.
And here’s the clever bit. When it’s cooler outside than inside, usually in the evening, point the fan towards an open window instead of at ourselves.
Bonkers? Maybe. But experts at Which? say: “Fans don’t cool the air, they move it, so this can help push hot air out of the room and draw cooler air in through other windows or gaps.”
So instead of blasting warm air round the room, we’re showing it the door.
- Skip the Ice-Cold Shower
A freezing shower sounds like the dream when we’re roasting. But it might not help as much as we think.
The Independent reports that very cold water can make blood vessels tighten, which may make the body hold on to heat. A cool or lukewarm shower is the better shout. It freshens us up without giving the body a shock.
But if heat exhaustion hits, we need to act quickly. The says we should move somewhere cool, remove extra clothing, drink water and cool the skin with water and a fan. Cold packs wrapped in a cloth can also go under the armpits or on the neck.
- Drink before we drop
A cold beer in the sun sounds tempting. But alcohol can dehydrate us and leave us feeling worse.
Coffee can do the same if we’re not drinking enough water.
Keep a water bottle with us when heading out. Light, watery foods can help too, like watermelon, cucumber and soups (yes, warm soups!).
Heatwaves can be dangerous, especially for older people, young children, disabled people and anyone with health conditions. For more advice, see the British Red Cross heatwave guide.
Image: Alliance Images
