Solutions
Low-effort, low-cost, and rapidly-deployable ways of keeping cool in an existing home, sorted from the easiest to implement.
Many of these are temporary and can be implemented tomorrow with readily available materials. The first ten are pretty landlord-friendly, too!
There are some examples and further details on the blog, too.
Every home is different - do seek professional help, advice and permissions where relevant.
Drink Water
Drink cool drinks and keep hydrated.
In hot weather, sweating cools you down. The fluid you lose through sweat needs replacing - so drink up!
Use Less Energy
Try to keep your energy usage low during a heat wave - all electricity and gas usage will end up as heat in your home.
Use LED bulbs, cook with a microwave instead of a regular oven, and use your smart meter to confirm that your electricity usage is low.
Take a Cool Shower
A cool shower or bath will directly cool your body and give you relief from the heat.
Water is a scarce resource, and many shower heads provide a disappointing shower experience while having a high flow rate. Try a good low-flow shower like those made by Methven — it'll likely improve your shower while lowering your water usage, too.
| Inventory |
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| Low Flow Shower Handset* |
| Low Flow Fixed Shower Head* |
Open and Close Your Windows at the Right Time
Open the windows - but only when it's cooler outside than in. Don’t let the heat in! As soon as things hot up outside, and it’s hotter outside than inside, shut those windows!
In a heatwave, it can be hard to get the timing right. Buy a pair of thermometers, keep one inside and the other outside (in the shade) and keep the heat out!
And if you’ve got mechanical ventilation systems installed, set them to boost and summer bypass as relevant!
| Inventory |
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| Pair of Thermometers* |
Choose the Best Time to Leave The House
Not everyone can leave home. But if you can, avoid being outside during the peak heat of the day, stick to the shade, and exercise only in the early morning or evening when it’s coolest.
Wear sunscreen - sunburn will make your skin feel hotter.
Carry an umbrella or parasol to protect you from the sun.
Visit air-conditioned spaces if you can
| Inventory |
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| Parasol* |
Use a Cold Flannel
Hot-headed? Wet a flannel with cool water and place it on your forehead.
It'll cool your skin by simulating sweating.
Did you know? The older you get, the less effective your sweat glands become.
| Inventory |
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| Flannel* |
Get a Desk Fan
The increased airflow over your skin helps your skin sweat more effectively, cooling you down. You can buy expensive ones, but that won’t necessarily help - it's just about getting airflow over your skin and a basic one will do just fine.
Watch out: switch the fan off at air temperatures of 35 degrees or more as the fan will likely heat you up rather than cool you down! Get a thermometer so you’re aware of the room temperature.
| Inventory |
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| Desk Fan* |
| Thermometer* |
Close your Blinds and Curtains
If the sun is beaming through your windows, closing internal blinds and curtains will reduce solar gains. While this is easy to do, the impact will be minor. Closing internal blinds or curtains still lets the heat get through the glass, and will only reduce solar gains by about 10%.
To make a significant impact, shade the windows from the outside. Even a rudimentary covering on the outside of a window can stop 100% of solar gain - far more effective.
More information on the Blog Post here
Paint Yoghurt on Your Windows
Is the sun beaming through your windows? Paint a temporary coating on the external surface of the glazing. This will reflect some heat from the direct sun entering the property and is far more effective than closing internal blinds or curtains. It will reflect heat away while still allowing light through, and it will be ready to be washed away when not needed.
Here's a paint-on glazing coating product marketed for cooling greenhouses*, but what’s cheaper, more readily available and works even better? Yoghurt! And what’s a lower-carbon version? Oat yogurt!
Apply with a paint roller and reach first-floor windows with a telescopic pole. Use masking tape to leave a few eye-level gaps to maintain a view.
Once the heatwave is over, wipe it clean. It comes off easily. Do it yourself, or invite your regular window cleaner over!
For more discussion on this, check out this blog post - Paint Yogurt on your Windows
| Inventory |
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| Oat Yoghurt* |
| Gloss Paint Roller* |
| Telescopic Pole* |
| Masking Tape* |
Shade Your Windows with a Temporary Covering
Is the sun beaming through your windows? Shade them from the outside. This will prevent heat from direct sun from entering the property and is far more effective than just closing internal blinds or curtains.
Europeans regularly employ products such as external roller shutter blinds and awnings, but these are currently much less common in the UK. The same effect can be achieved with less intervention on a more temporary basis. Cover windows and roof lights with old towels or curtains or rig up bamboo screening to shade glazing. These are temporary but very effective measures.
Perforated materials work best because they preserve a view out. For example, perforated paper packaging materials could be taped to the outside of the glass to block out the heat but preserve a view, and then recycled when no longer required. Net curtain material could be applied to the exterior of the glazing and washed from time to time
An alternative could be to use perforated metal stuck to a window with threaded suckers, which can be stored away when not required.
A less temporary solution would be to adapt this Velux product, which rolls up and is sold as a solution for a roof window but could be fixed vertically with the help of a handyman.
More discussion on these blog posts: Stick Perforated Material to Your Glazing & Install External Shading on your Roof Windows
| Inventory - Paper Mesh |
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| White Honeycomb Paper Packaging* |
| Black Honeycomb Paper Packaging* |
| Black Honeycomb Paper Packaging* |
| Tape* |
| Inventory - Perforated Metal |
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| Perforated Stainless Steel* |
| Threaded Suckers* |
| Inventory - Anti-Heat Blind |
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| Velux Anti-Heat Awning Blind* |
Paint Your Roof White
Have you got a dark-coloured roof? Paint it white! It'll reflect the sun and less heat will enter the home.
| Inventory |
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| Roof Paint* |
Rig up a Solar Sail
Got lots of glazing where the sun beams in?
How about a solar sail to shade the glazing? They come in triangular and square shapes and in lots of sizes.
Rig it up when the sun is blaring and take it down in between hot spells and when the wind picks up! Get a friendly builder to install some stainless steel eyelets and grab some karabiners.
| Inventory |
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| Solar Sail* |
| Karabiners* |
Add External Solar Shading to your Velux Roof Window
Got a Velux roof window? Does sun blast through it during the day? Due to their orientation, this will likely be a major source of heat.
The Velux Anti-Heat Awning Blinds are fantastic external blinds products, and they can be installed as a DIY project as long as the roof light is within reach.
They hide away in a pocket when they’re not needed. They reflect 78% of the heat from the window from direct sunlight, whereas an internal equivalent would reflect just 5%.
The Velux Anti-Heat Blackout Blind can provide blackout, are even more effective at keeping the heat out, and can be operated by remote control. They reflect up to 90% reduction of heat.
Head to this blog post for a case study- Install External Shading on our Roof Windows
| Inventory |
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| Velux Anti-Heat Awning Blind - Manual* |
| Velux Anti-Heat Awning Blind - Remote Controlled* |
Install a Ceiling Fan
The Europeans use ceiling fans all the time - low running costs and plenty of comfort!
Here are some great-looking ceiling fans available in the UK that a friendly electrician can install.
Particularly good for above the bed to help you sleep at night!
Watch out: switch the fan off at air temperatures of 35 degrees or more, as it will likely heat you rather than cool you down! Get a thermometer so you’re aware of the room temperature.
| Inventory |
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| Ceiling Fan* |
| Thermometer* |
Buy Air-Conditioning
Many will get through UK heatwaves with the use of small portable cooling units.
Unfortunately, mechanical cooling comes with significant drawbacks of energy costs and usage of planet-warming refrigerants.
Note that employing the other measures described above in combination with air-conditioning will benefit the effectiveness of a mechanical cooling system as well as reduce its energy usage.
Also, note that air conditioning won’t operate in a power cut and makes noise. Less temporary systems will likely need a planning application, breakdown and will require regular maintenance