How to keep your house cool
Monday 18 July 2022
What can you do to keep your house cool? A well-insulated house is ideal in winter, but uncomfortable during the long, hot summers. The heat can linger for a long time. How do you keep your house cool?
Is the inside of your house too warm? Here's what you can do about it
As soon as you wake up in the morning (when it is still cool outside), open all the windows and doors that face each other. If possible, keep windows and doors closed for the rest of the day. For homes with mechanical ventilation During the day, close the ventilation grille on the sunny side and open the ventilation grille on the shady side. This will reduce the amount of warm air entering the house. At night, open the ventilation grids or leave the windows open out of the reach of thieves. Keep all curtains closed during the day. It mainly blocks light, not heat. Therefore, the effect is less than using an external sunscreen. If possible, turn off lights, hoovers, TVs, cookers and laptops. These can generate a lot of heat. Instead of drying laundry in a tumble dryer, dry it on a drying rack, preferably outdoors. Install the fan at night near the doorway between the bedroom and the corridor, or at the highest point in front of the window. The fan blows warm air out of the room. Place a few bottles of frozen water in front of the fan. This will cool the air dispersed by the fan. At night, use a bottle of frozen water or a cooling element as an inverted jug on the bed.
How to prevent heat in the house
If your house is not yet sufficiently insulated, consider roof and wall insulation and insulation to counteract heat, for example with HR++ or triple glazing. Façade greenery such as ivy and wisteria help keep the house cool, as does greenery on the roof. The lush gardens have a cooling effect during the hot season. Ground cover moistens the soil during the dry season. Many paving stones in the garden actually retain the heat. Heat in the house? If necessary, buy an indoor/outdoor unit and an air conditioner with energy label A. Do not use the air conditioner often and do not set the temperature unnecessarily low to save energy. Use a heat pump instead of the air conditioner. Most heat pumps can cool as well as heat. A heat pump for heating is an option if your home is reasonably well insulated.
Tips for reducing water consumption
It is better to water the garden once a week for a little longer than every day. It is best to water the plants in the morning. Then the sun will not be so bright and the water will not evaporate. Watering the plants in the evening can make them as moist as the soil and cause mould. Beware of tap leaks. Take a shower instead of a bath. A 5-minute shower uses 55 litres on average and a full bath uses 110 litres or more. Shower for less time. Choose a water-saving shower head. A normal shower head uses an average of 8.7 litres of water per minute, while a water-saving shower head uses 5 litres.