Have you ever experienced the discomfort of a sweltering home? It's known as overheating, and it occurs when an excessive amount of heat becomes trapped inside our houses.

There are various factors leading to this, such as the sun shining through windows, poor air circulation, and even the heat emitted by our everyday household items like lights and appliances.

In this blog, we will explore the causes and consequences of overheating, as well as effective solutions to keep your home cool and comfortable.

In the UK, despite the typically mild weather, the issue of homes overheating is becoming increasingly problematic. This is primarily due to factors like climate change, inadequate house design, and a lack of knowledge on staying cool, exacerbating the situation.

Being exposed to such conditions for a long time is generally, not good for us. Overheating can make us feel discomfort, fatigue and can potentially jeopardize the health of vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly and those already ill. Therefore, it is crucial to explore effective measures to prevent excessive heat buildup in our homes.

Here are some simple things we can do to keep our homes cool:

Close the Curtains:

When the sun is shining and the air has started to warm up, draw the curtains or blinds to block the heat from coming inside. It's like putting on sunglasses for your house!

The more opaque (non-transparent) the curtains or blinds are, the better. Windows facing the south and the west could particularly benefit from this approach as those windows face the most risk of sun throughout the day.

If in doubt, try leaving the curtains drawn shut one day and drawn open on another to try and see if there is any major difference during the warmer period.

Let Fresh Air In

Open your windows and doors to let a breeze flow through the house.

This helps push the hot air out and bring in cooler air. But remember, only do this when it's cooler outside than inside.

Sometimes, this might mean that you open your windows in the evenings or at night to make the most of cooler temperatures. This has been found to work particularly well for bedrooms located on the top floors of houses. This is because they are most likely to heat up during the day and we want them to have lower temperatures when they are used at night.

Use Fans

Fans can make the air move around, which helps us feel cooler. You can use a fan in the room you are spending time in and especially when you are unable to open your windows as it is too hot outside. Fans work differently from air conditioners in that they help create a breeze rather than actually cooling the air.

This makes them cheaper to run as they use less electricity to work. Just make sure to turn it off when you're not using it (take it with you when you move to a different room). For a small blast of cooler air, and when the air is not too humid or muggy, you can stick a bowl of ice water in front of your fan (or a damp towel over the fan) to help circulate slightly cooler air.

Wear Light Clothes

When it's hot, wear light and loose-fitting clothes that don’t cling to your skin and avoid wearing heavy clothes that make us sweat more.

This helps our bodies stay cooler as we can readily sweat and lose some of the heat that our bodies build up as we go about our day. If you are spending time outdoors (e.g. in your garden), wear light colours to reflect the sun's rays and put a hat on to provide some extra shade. Don't forget that sunscreen!

Take Breaks

If it's really hot, take breaks from activities that make us even hotter, like exercising or using lots of electronic devices.

Rest in a cooler room or find a shady spot outside. By trying to reduce the chances of your body heating up, you put less stress on it meaning that it does not have to work too hard (e.g. excessive sweating) to keep you cool.

There are also more effective but more costly measures that you can take to keep your home cool and comfy. The most effective are those that work to keep the heat out followed by those that work to remove any heat that has built up in your home.

Shade your windows externally

External shading of buildings is a way to protect the inside of a building from getting too hot when the sun is shining. It's like wearing a big hat or using an umbrella to keep yourself cool on a hot day. When you're outside and you stand under a big tree, you feel cooler because the tree's leaves are blocking the sunlight from hitting you directly. The same idea applies to buildings with external shading.

The cheapest way to shade your windows is using planting, like a deciduous tree (one that loses its leaves in the autumn).

You can also choose to install a canopy or awnings/shutters which can work the same way but with greater success. Remember that external shading works best when applied to the South and West-facing windows as these are the ones at most risk from the sun's rays.

Add insulation to your loft and external walls

External insulation is usually recommended for homes in the UK to keep them warmer during the winter.

During the winter, insulation works like wearing a cosy jacket to keep yourself warm. However, insulation can also work to reduce the amount of heat absorbed into your home during the summer by trapping the heat externally and preventing it from being transferred indoors.

This can be especially beneficial for lofts and rooms on the top floor which tend to get very warm in the summer. Loft insulation is fairly easy to install and can be one of your DIY tasks. If installed, loft insulation can act as a major barrier between the inside and outside, and help to keep your home cool.

Install a ceiling fan

Ceiling fans work much like stand-alone electric fans. The main difference is that they are usually attached to the ceiling in the middle of a room and have bigger, flat blades that also spin around to push the air around them to create a cooling breeze.

This breeze helps make you feel cooler, even though the air temperature in the room doesn't actually change.

Ceiling fans can have different speeds, so you can adjust them to make the breeze stronger or weaker. If it's a really hot day, you can set the fan to a high speed, and it will make the room feel cooler. As with electric fans, please remember to turn them off when you are not in the room.

Remember, it's important to take care of ourselves and our homes when the weather gets too warm.

Here's a quick recap of what we can do:

Other simple and more effective (but more costly) ways of keeping your home cool:

Shade your windows externally
Add insulation to your loft and external walls
Install a ceiling fan

The easiest and least expensive methods of keeping your home cool

Close the curtains
Let fresh air in by opening doors and windows
Use a fan
Wear light clothes
Take breaks away from strenuous activities

By following these simple tips, we can stay cool and comfortable even when it's hot outside.

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Beating the Heat: How to Keep Homes Cool and Comfortable